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Not sure what a giant naked lady with her tripes hanging out has got to do with Ilfracombe, but hay-ho, live and let live etc…

I expect there to be mixed opinions, as is always Hirst’s intention.
I personally don’t like it.

I also expect DezB to get off on it.

I think it’s cool. It’s what public art should be; big, bold and divide opinion.

FWIW. I met Hirst a couple of times, including at a book signing in White Cube. He turned up late, went early and generally behaved like a ****, including writing on the wall in marker pen and peeing with the door open. What a rebel! He also left the building with the words “Now let’s spend the money!”.

I believe there’s a storyline about being a lapsed Catholic and all the works being about death and mortality etc etc. That’s the marketing anyway.

Looks good to me.

I expect the normal “that isn’t art” response that every new thing gets.
(e.g. the Angel of the North was widely hated, now it appears all over the place as part of the Newcastle “brand”)

My only issue is that her sword is far too big for her. She’s never going to be able to wield that successfully in battle, especially left handed – though I guess would be assailants might be put off by her jubblies and internal organs flapping about.

Dont rate him or the work he commisions other to do on his behalf as he has no actual talent

Good at marketting himself to the gullible and parting them from their money – if that is art then so be it

Its far from his worst or most pointless work though and for Hirst I quite like it

Two things he’s well known for;

Controversy
&
Money

He scores highly here.

It’s what public art should be; big, bold and divide opinion.

What’s wrong with art just making people happy, IMO its just con artists who use the “challenge public perception” line as a cover for being crap.

Controversy
&
Money

He scores highly here.

Controversy I’ll grant you, but he’s lent them the statue for 20 years, so how’s he made money

What’s wrong with art just making people happy

Nothing really, but personally (and appreciation or not of all art is personal), I’d rather have something ‘bold’ in these kind of settings. They could have made a nice statue of a fisherman, and I’m sure it would have been perfectly nice, but probably also rapidly forgettable.

And it wouldn’t draw the punters in to the town, which is the main point of the thing…

They could have made a nice statue of a fisherman, and I’m sure it would have been perfectly nice, but probably also rapidly forgettable.

Oh I dunno – I reckon a 67-foot high version of this would look pretty good on that plinth and would be fairly memorable:

He’s Britain richest artist – so he’s got enough wonga not to need to make money from this. Hopefully it will be good for the town, but actually I think the main point for him is that it increases his reputation. Commercially, he know’s what he’s up to.

He probably had the cast mould left over from this

I don’t think there is much divided opinion – A clear majority think Hurst is a ****t.

how’s he made money

He has invested in a nerby restaurant.

Well I think she’s smashing, whether or not Hirst is a nobber.

Looks like the kind of thing Sadaam Hussain or Colonal Gaddaffi would have been happy to have outside one of their palaces.

It’s bloody awful! And he’s an utter ****!!!

How’s he made his money? Well at a recent Retrospective of his work, you could buy ickle replicas of his diamond encrusted skull – the kind of thing that would look at home in a Viz spoof Franklin Mint, Sunday supplement advert – in the gift shop. A snip at 30 grand a pop

I’ve a grudging admiration for the audacity of this approach. He’s clearly realised that the utter post-modern stupidity of people with too much money is now completely beyond parody.

That Damien Hurst he’s a success….

Yeah, what a utter ****

🙄

Well its certainly given Ilfracombe a huge amount of free publicity which will hopefully increase visitor numbers and money going into their local economy, which is probably much needed after this summer’s washout.

I certainly prefer it to the Angel of the North which seems to be the benchmark for such civic works of art.

And I agree Hirst is an egotistical t***!

Oh yeah… I forgot… Success in this country is only measured in financial terms, isn’t it?

After a fairly promising start, pretty much all of Hirsts subsequent work has been (rightfully IMHO) critically lambasted as lazy and second rate.

The mans a genius at self promotion, and relieving gullible fools of vast quantities of cash, but please don’t try and portray him as a great artist. He’s pretty far from that.

Also see: Tracy Emin

How’s he made his money? Well at a recent Retrospective of his work, you could buy ickle replicas of his diamond encrusted skull – the kind of thing that would look at home in a Viz spoof Franklin Mint, Sunday supplement advert – in the gift shop. A snip at 30 grand a pop

Wow, someone making money from people buying things that they like but they don’t really need and they’re under no pressure to buy. What an utter bastard.

I think it says more about society than it does about him really fella. The fact that in today’s economic climate there are enough people still think nothing of spending 30 grand on a piece of mass produced tat, just because it’s got the right signature on it, I just find depressing. For all manner of reasons.

Damion Hirst? He’s both cynical, and bloody clever in ruthlessly exploiting these idiots!!

Good luck to him

It’s always happened, there have always been people with a lot of money and some things are deemed to be worth a lot because of the cachet they have, regardless of their actual physical or technical ‘worth’.

If you’re going to slate Damien Hirst, slate Chris King 🙂

Oh, and TBH, I thought you said 30 quid, not 30 grand…

“ruthlessly exploiting these idiots!! “

Not so sure you are right there… reckon those “idiots” may well go on to sell those “pieces” at even higher prices.

30 quid is probably what they actually cost to make. At a push. Not a bad profit margin eh?

I’m sure mr Hirst could tell you. If he bothered to read the price on the contract of the sweatshop he no doubt farmed the ‘production’ out too. Like he does with all of his ‘art’. He may have flicked theough it, before disappearing off to the Groucho Club for another long lunch

Nah he probably got someone he EMPLOYS to do it… and headed directly to the club with his other wealth CREATING chums.

Cynically Selling tat to idiots is now what passes for ‘wealth creation’ and wortwhile, productive economic activity, is it?

Oh…. Hang on….. actually … I’ve just described what’s left of the British economy, haven’t I?

Hurray for capitalism!!! Like I said…. Just depressing 🙁

yeah hes a right jeremey hunt
but i do quite like this

Was down there Monday, (family in Ilfracombe) it’s pretty impressive, he lives a few bays up the coast and had offered to pay 60k to get a skate park in Combe Martin, which the council got uppity about as they ‘didn’t want Damien Hirst telling them what to do’
His son skates and he wanted a place for the local skaters/riders to be able to use.
His involvement can be seen as a good thing for the economy round that area.
As I’ve said before give it 20 years and Ilframcombe will be North Devon’s answer to Padstein 😉

Cynically Selling tat to idiots is now what passes for ‘wealth creation’ and wortwhile, productive economic activity, is it?

Well, it’s manufacturing, and skilled manufacturing at that. I thought that’s what we (and by we, I mean you) are often bemoaning the loss of in the UK.

60k? That’s 2 whole replica skulls?!!! 😉

I’ve got to be honest, the anti Damien Hirst stuff smacks of the attitude that says “look at that sod, who’s managed to find something he’s good at and become very successful and rich from it. We don’t like their sort”.

It’s a very British attitude and if anything’s depressing, it is.

“productive economic activity, is it?”

Selling some thing to people who want it… “60k? That’s 2 whole replica skulls”….

So yep thats how it works, well done top of the class

Skilled manufacturing? Hmmmm. Well I’m not sure gloss-painted die-cast plastic falls in to that category. And the list price is £36,800 if you fancy one.

Anyway… You’re getting me wrong here. I’m not having ago at Hirst. He’s a right clever sod who’s done very well for himself, through actually doing very very little. Something we’d all fancy a bit of, given the chance

It’s what it says about our society that there’s a thriving market for this mass-produced bilge that I find depressing.

Sorry to get on your case binners… but we are back to the whole you pays your money you make your choice.

There are others in this world who think that you riding around the woods on an “expensive” bike doesn’t say much either … but there you go, that’s life aye

Indeed. Though it’s worth noting that there’s probably the same production costs gone into my front tyre… In fact… Thinking about it; probably more… Than into one of mr Hirsts skulls. You pays your money indeed….

Anyone gonna comment on the art and not the artist?
I don’t really get the peeled open vibe. Reminding us we are human? Is this welcoming visitors to the shore? I like the pose.

I also expect DezB to get off on it

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Most satisfying. 😛

Like I said, impressive in the flesh, I belive he’s ‘given’ it to the town for 20 years.

Seriously though. Wow. That’s amazing.

Jealousy? Yes possibly in some cases, but I don’t think it’s just that. I think it’s the realisation that ‘art’ seems to have become purely an exercise in profit that people react to. As Ro5ey quite correctly states, he doesn’t make these things – his team does – and the people that buy them are often ‘investing’ – looking to sell on at a profit. Some of them probably don’t even like the stuff. There’s a reason that his greatest patron was Saatchi – a man from an advertising/marketing background. Saatchi made the YBA’s what they were – and made a huge profit in the process. There’s nothing wrong in that. But the discussion around post-modern art is that “it’s what you make of it” – even when removed from the creator’s intentions. Therefore I can poo in a can (it’s been done before), put it in an art gallery with some spiel about the cycle of life and commodification etc etc – and some canny (pun intended) gallery owner will say how I’m the next up-and-coming thing and how they need to buy me now because I’ll be huge in 5 years time. So, rich person buys my Canned Poo and a trade in my Canned Poo pieces ensues. I become one of those rich people in the process. Statues are erected to me when I’m dead and galleries of my artwork are opened so the paying public can come and gorp at my s*** (literally). Children in schools are taught about my creative genius. And all along, I didn’t give a s*** (pun intended). Even when I protest and say I was just taking the *** – they will say “Ah, but that’s the genius of it, it’s inate!”. There’s something quite Monty Python about that.

Regarding the statue in Ilfracombe, it means little to me. Reminds me of the Colossus at Rhodes, the Statue of Liberty, and Soviet propaganda statues. I’d imagine if I had just bought a nice little cottage there, I’d be hoping it didn’t become permanent/ the council decides it “must” retain it and pays several million.

I’d imagine if I had just bought a nice little cottage

nutter, have you been to Ilfracombe? 😉