The Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011. The exhibition takes place at once across all of Gagosian Gallery's eleven locations in New York, London, Paris, Los Angeles, Rome, Athens, Geneva and Hong Kong, opening worldwide. Conceived as a single exhibition in multiple locations, the show makes use of this demographic fact to determine the content of each exhibition according to locality.
GAGOSIAN GALLERY HOLDS WORLDWIDE EXHIBITION OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF SPOT PAINTINGS BY
DAMIEN HIRST
I was always a colorist, I’ve always had a phenomenal love of color... I mean, I just move color around on its
own. So that’s where the spot paintings came from—to create that structure to do those colors, and do nothing.
I suddenly got what I wanted. It was just a way of pinning down the joy of color.
—Damien Hirst
Gagosian Gallery is pleased to present “The Complete Spot Paintings 1986–2011” by Damien Hirst.
The exhibition will take place at once across all of Gagosian Gallery’s eleven locations in New York, London,
Paris, Los Angeles, Rome, Athens, Geneva, and Hong Kong, opening worldwide on January 12, 2012. 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, “The Complete Spot Paintings 1986–
2011” makes use of this demographic fact to determine the content of each exhibition according to locality.
Included in the exhibition are more than 300 paintings, from the first spot on board that Hirst created in 1986;
to the smallest spot painting comprising half a spot and measuring 1 x 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 25,781 spots that are each 1 millimeter in diameter, with no single color ever repeated.
In conjunction with the exhibition will be the publication of The Complete Spot Paintings 1986–2011, a fully
illustrated, comprehensive and definitive catalogue of all spot paintings made by Hirst from 1986 to the present.
Published by Gagosian Gallery and Other Criteria, The Complete Spot Paintings 1986–2011 includes essays by
Museum of Modern Art curator Ann Temkin, cultural critic Michael Bracewell, and art historian Robert Pincus-
Witten as well as a conversation between Damien Hirst, Ed Ruscha and John Baldessari.
The third issue of the Gagosian App for iPad will also launch January, providing an interactive, in-depth look at
the series that features more than ninety spot paintings.
“Damien Hirst: The Complete Spot Paintings 1986–2011” precedes the first major museum retrospective of
Hirst’s work opening at Tate Modern in London in April, 2012.
Damien Hirst was born in 1965 in Bristol, England. Solo exhibitions include "The Agony and the Ecstasy," Museo
Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Naples (2004); "A Selection of Works by Damien Hirst from Various
Collections," Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2005); Astrup Fearnley Museet for Moderne Kunst, Oslo (2005); "For
the Love of God," Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (2008); "No Love Lost," The Wallace Collection, London (2009);
"Requiem," Pinchuk Art Center, Kiev (2009); and “Cornucopia,” the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco (2010).
He received the Turner Prize in 1995. His work is included in many important public and private collections
throughout the world.
Hirst lives and works in London and Devon, United Kingdom.
Exhibition details for each gallery is listed below:
New York
980 Madison Avenue
January 12–February 18, 2012
Opening Reception: 6–8pm
555 West 24th Street
January 12–February 18, 2012
Opening Reception: 6–8pm
522 West 21st Street
January 12–February 18, 2012
Opening Reception: 6–8pm
Geneva
19 Place de Longemalle
January 12–March 17, 2012
Opening Reception: 6–8pm
Beverly Hills
456 North Camden Drive
January 12–February 10, 2012
Opening Reception: 6–8pm
Paris
4 Rue de Ponthieu
January 12–February 18, 2012
Opening Reception: 6–8pm
Rome
Via Francesco Crispi 16
January 12–March 10, 2012
Opening Reception: 6–8:30pm
Athens
3 Merlin Street
January 12–March 10, 2012
Opening Reception: 7–9pm
London
6–24 Britannia Street
January 12–February 18, 2012
Opening Reception: 6–8pm
17–19 Davies Street
January 12–February 18, 2012
Opening Reception: 6–8pm
Hong Kong
7/F, 12 Pedder Street
January 12–February 18, 2012
Opening Reception: 6–8pm
Image: DAMIEN HIRST
Ethyl Laurate, 2003
Household gloss on canvas
59 x 59 inches (149.9 x 149.9 cm)
© Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS 2011
Press Enquiries:
Bolton & Quinn
Erica Bolton
E. erica@boltonquinn.com T. +44.207.221.5000
FITZ & CO.
Meg Blackburn
E. meg@fitzandco.com T. +1.212.627.1455, ext. 225
Claudine Colin Communication
Dorelia Baird-Smith
E. dorelia@claudinecolin.com T. +33.1.42.72.60.01
Opening Reception: January 12th 6–8pm
Gagosian Gallery Britannia Street
6-24 Britannia Street - London
Hours: Tue–Sat 10–6
Free admission