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Damien Hirst, The inescapable Truth, Dove and Human skull in formaldehyde.Photo courtesy of Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst made it to the Tate Modern, on
Apr 4 he will open the doors to his first solo exhibition with 22 works
spanning over his entire career. Just in time for the Olympics and the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee.Sacred and profane, life and death become
blurred and one might wonder if it is only presumption and determination to shake viewers
to their core.Some of his work makes me cringe, like the sight of animals cut
in two and preserved (vegetarians and animal lovers look the other way) but almost in spite of myself I find it poignant and
engaging.

Damien Hirst, Mother and Child, Divided, 1993 Steel, GRP composites, glass, silicone sealants, cow, calf, formaldehyde solution; dimensions variable. Courtesy of Damien Hirst Photo: Tate Photography 

And his auction sales may be down (only £1.9m for one of his pieces)
but everyone is talking about him and this solo exhibition – together with the
Tate Modern’s official seal of approval as Britain’s most famous living artist
– means a huge comeback. Here’s an interesting article on the
Economist about Damien Hirst and the ‘curse’ of having preferred hard and fast
sales that made him a very rich man and his place from a history of art
standpoint. You can find the article here http://www.economist.com/node/21550767

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