SEEING SPOTS BEFORE YOUR EYES

GAGOSIAN GALLERY HOLDS WORLDWIDE EXHIBITION OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF SPOT PAINTINGS BY ARTIST DAMIEN HIRST

The Complete Spot Paintings 1986–2011 by Damien Hirst opens Thursday, January 12th. 

Most of the paintings are being lent by private individuals and public institutions, more than 150 different lenders from twenty countries. Conceived as a single exhibition in multiple locations, chronicaling the whole of Hirst's creative range "from the first spot on board that Hirst created in 1986; to the smallest spot painting comprising half a spot measuring 1-1/2 inch (1996) to a monumental work comprising only four spots, each 60 inches in diameter; and up to the most recent spot painting completed in 2011 containing 24,781 spots that are each 1 millimeter in diameter, with no single color ever repeated."

Courtesy of Gagosian Gallery

Damien Hirst has a reputation as the British Artist that outdid Andy Warhol as a businessman and Jeff Koons as a master of kitsch and I agree.  Hirst is offering a free personalized spot print to the first person who is willing to travel to every Gogasian Gallery around the world and sees everyone of the 11 exhibitions. Another reason is that Hirst actually only painted 5 of the estimated 1,400 spot paintings since 1986.

photo: Artlog.com

I must admit that each painting is equally cheery, modern looking and graphically optomistic and psychologically, yes, it triggers the penny-candy on paper strips that one could buy for a treat in our childhood memories.



And...yes there is an APP for that - the 3rd issue of the Gagosian App for iPad will also launch in January providing an interactive, in-depth look at the series of approximately 90 of the 300 spot paintings


Three of the 11 venues for this exhibition will be at the Gagosian Galleries, 980 Madison Avenue,  555 West 24th Street and 522 W 21st Street in Chelsea opening on January 12th and closes on February 18th in New York.