Pop art icon or con artist?



Damien Hirst exhibit opens at Tate Modern


Well-known contemporary artist Damien Hirst has been ruffling the feathers of art critics since he received public attention back in the 80s. Some have called him a genius and even a modern-day Andy Warhol. Others, like critic Julian Spalding whose book“Con Art – Why You Ought To Sell Your Damien Hirsts While You Can,” remain unimpressed, and even adamant in their disdain for the artist.


They include works from his Natural History series such as “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living” which features a suspended shark in formaldehyde and “Mother and Child Divided” which presents a bisected cow and calf also in formaldehyde. Other works include a spin painting, a spot painting, pharmaceuticals, cigarette butts, live butterflies… there’s even a cow’s head being devoured by flies entitled “A Thousand Years.”