This blog aims to debate whether Damien Hirst is a genuine artist or someone who is massively successful at keeping himself visible, and manipulating the media and art world -Hirst's glittering 8,601 diamond encrusted skull sold for a staggering £50m in 2007, but what are the criteria for deciding the worth and artistic value of a work of art today?
Skill? Intelligence? Wit? Inspiration? Wealth?
Look anywhere in our 'modern' news media and you'll find much discussion about Hirst's work and the state of the contemporary art market. With critics complaining "it is no longer about art - but how you can manipulate the market and push up prices".
If ever there was a work of art that focused the mind on the virtues of art versus PR and spin, Hirst's £50m skull is it!
Be part of the debate here by pasting your views or taking part in the online poll, on your left, today.
6 comments:
If being an artist is giving people another "view", questioning themselves and challenging old concepts, then Hirst may be one... But all the "drama" around his creations also show he's a good self publicist... I'm sure he knows well that controversy always makes good PR;-)... And to be known, for an artist, is the 1st step to the success
Well, there are two kinds of artists...starving ones and famous ones. If you wait for the critics to catch on to you, you might die a starving artist, but build up a posthumous following. What's the fun in that? Self-promotion is in the toolkit of every successful artist, be it stage, screen, music, or sculpting. That is how you sell your works to make a living! There's nothing wrong with that. Plus, that skull is nothing...I once saw a modern art installation in Dallas called "change," which was a ring of green wrapped candies spilled across the floor that visitors were invited to pick up as they wished...thus changing the exhibit. If that's art...why not a bedazzled skull?
PR is about controversy. In another sense art can also represent PR in many ways i.e. stunts. If Daimen Hirst can generate publicity through art or maybe call it PR stunt then he is getting his message across. Is this not what PR is about? He deserves the credit.
Edward L. Bernays, named as a father of spin used several images to tell the story thereby creating huge publicity for his clients.
To be successful nowadays, you have to provoke. Everyone who is anyone in today's world triggers controversy, this is also the case for the arts.
Hirst uses provokation in order to heighten his media awareness, hence he is able to charge premium prices for his pieces. As long as 'brands' still come before 'excellence and innoveation' and people are willing to pay for it, Hirst would be stupid not to take advantage of current trends.
He is an artist. And a brilliant one. He is also someone with loads of money who needs attention. He also seems like someone who doesn't quite know what to do with it. Heard about his new venture: an art shop in London? More here: http://tinyurl.com/2a4y6k
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