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It has been quite a while since I castigated billionaire artist Damien Hirst as a second-rate manufacturer of kitsch and worse, much of which has actually been created by others. He is to art as Donald Trump is to the truth. My opinion has been consistent over many years (see for example, https://jaksview3.ca/2010/09/02/damien-hirst-accused-of-plagiarizing-works/; https://jaksview3.ca/2009/10/17/1974/; and https://jaksview3.ca/2008/09/15/damien-hirsts-garage-sale/).
Now it is reported that he has been playing fast-and-loose with the creation dates of his huge collection called Currency. The series was “intended for the mass market when they went on sale in 2021. Sold for $2,000 each, they gave ordinary buyers an opportunity to acquire a genuine Hirst artwork or an NFT equivalent.”
“According to sources familiar with the production of The Currency series, dozens of artists were hired to assist with the factory-style production of the paintings in 2018 and 2019. Some worked eight-hour days for several months, wearing cumbersome masks to protect from the paint fumes … They were produced by dozens of painters hired at Hirst’s company Science Ltd at two studios, in Gloucestershire and London, in what one source described as a “Henry Ford production line”.
With so many really fine artists barely scratching a living from their work, it is scandalous that someone like Hirst can make billions from their efforts.
Jak's View of Vancouver v.3 