So the Independent reported today that collectors were being advised to sell any Damien Hirst items as soon as possible, before the market completely dropped for them*.
I think Damien Hirst is an artist you either love or hate. Some people cannot see the skill in any of his work and to be honest I think his work is more based on ideas than any kind of technical or artistic ability which is why it is classed as conceptual art.
But then people have always known this. Buyers know that his spot paintings are made in a factory by employees and not by Hirst himself but they still buy his artwork. maybe it is more about the buzz of having a Hirst than the actual artwork itself.
Of course many collectors want the work as an investment rather than for its aesthetic value so perhaps they will be starting to panic when the full report in the form of a book gets released on 1 April. Or maybe not. After all this is only the opinion of one member of the art world (and a critic at that) so maybe this is just scaremongering.
I have mixed feelings about Damien Hirst’s work – I’m not really a fan of animals in formaldehyde but I do like some of the spot and skull artwork. I feel it is much about the one thing that gets artists famous and that is who buys your work and if someone notable buys then you are going to get noticed. There are many people with as much if not more talent but it is getting a name for themselves that is the crucial part.
So does anyone have any opinions on Damien Hirst and his work? Is he an artist or just someone out to shock? Would you even go as far as saying he is a con artist? Comments welcome below…
*Full details in the Independent