The Best and Worst of Damien Hirst

In 1995 the critic Robert Hughes wrote in the New York Times: "I think the content of actual thought in Damien Hirst's work is pretty close to zero." Few artists have been as contentious as Hirst since he came onto the scene in the late 1980s at the forefront of a group of artists known as the yBas, the "young British artists." With his displays of animals in vitrines of formaldehyde, his big paintings of dots, and his giant medicine cabinets filled with surgical tools and colourful pharmaceuticals, Hirst played a central role in putting London on the international art scene through the 1990s. In 2008, as world markets crashed, Hirst orchestrated a wildly successful auction of his work at Christie's, which made him the richest artist in the world. In spite of a major exhibition at the Tate Modern Gallery in the summer of 2012, critics remain sceptical. This talk will look at Hirst's work and career, as an artist and celebrity.

Presented by: Dr. Elizabeth Legge, University of Toronto

Registration is required and begins: January 2nd
Register in-branch or by calling: 416.393.7674
Space is limited.