200 years later: Damien Hirst plans to “create” art posthumously DOT DOT DOT
200 years later: Damien Hirst plans to “create” art posthumously DOT DOT DOT
Damien Hirst poses with The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living at Tate Modern in 2012. Photo: Oli Scarff/Getty Images
This article starts off by talking about Damien Hirst and his iconic sculptures: the formaldehyde preserved sharks and the butterfly mandala. The author, Alexa Donovan, also mentions how Hirst artwork tends to go beyond traditional artwork. Then Donovan talks about how Hirst plans to fill out this endeavor of his. Hirst plans to have notebooks filled with designs and these designs are given a particular number. These numbers correspond to the amount of years after Hirst passes away. When he eventually passes, these notebooks will be sold and the designs will be able to come alive. For example, notebook 10 will be able to be used 10 years after Hirst's death. Donovan also mentions that the legalities of this might work against Hirst. This is because unfortunately in the United Kingdom, Hirst is a citizen in that country, copyright laws only last up until 70 years after an artist's death. This is a mention of previous posthumous work from artists: Sol Lewitt and his wall drawings for example, and how because this has happened already and has been successful at this point, there is no telling how it might work out for Hirst.
Lastly, Donovan talks about the market value of posthumous works and how that might affect Hirst's plans. Part of the reason why it might not work in favor of Hirst is in the conversation of authenticity. Critics probably won't want artwork that was created by someone else even if the original design was created from Hirst himself.
For my analysis of this conversation, I have a few questions. Firstly, when does Hirst plan on making these 200 notebooks and if he has already done that, will he make more? I ask this because as an artist, I can assume that he usually has an everflowing brain of ideas. How does he plan on condensing this down to just 200? While 200 notebooks does seem like a large number, if I take a look at my own sketchbook I probably have over 200 sketches and ideas.
Second, How does Hirst guarantee that his estate will keep to this plan? Also how does Hirst know that people will buy these notebooks after his death? Especially after 200 years? His estate might not go with this plan a long while after his death because they might not see it as financially interesting. While his iconic works of art will always be known, there might not be an extreme interest in all of his artwork after his death. This is to not offend him or his artwork, but not every artist will be known after their death. There will always be new and iconic artwork that pops up and takes people's attention away.
The final thing I have to say about this conversation is that I am interested to see how this goes. This is one of the only times I am taking an interest in contemporary art so hopefully I will have the honor of seeing Hirst's plan come to fruition, whenever that shall be.
Sources:Donovan, Alexa. “200 Years Later: Damien Hirst Plans to ‘Create’ Art Posthumously Dot Dot Dot - Center for Art Law.” Center for Art Law - At the Intersection of Visual Arts and the Law, 12 Aug. 2025, itsartlaw.org/art-law/200-years-later-damien-hirst-plans-to-create-art-posthumously-dot-dot-dot/#post-74377-footnote-ref-37.
Scarff, Oli. Damien Hirst poses with The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living at Tate Modern in 2012. 28 May 2025. Damien Hirst Says He Will Keep Making Artworks 200 Years After He Dies, https://news.artnet.com/art-world/damien-hirst-will-keep-making-artworks-after-dies-2650250. Accessed 10 Sept. 2025.
This article starts off by talking about Damien Hirst and his iconic sculptures: the formaldehyde preserved sharks and the butterfly mandala. The author, Alexa Donovan, also mentions how Hirst artwork tends to go beyond traditional artwork. Then Donovan talks about how Hirst plans to fill out this endeavor of his. Hirst plans to have notebooks filled with designs and these designs are given a particular number. These numbers correspond to the amount of years after Hirst passes away. When he eventually passes, these notebooks will be sold and the designs will be able to come alive. For example, notebook 10 will be able to be used 10 years after Hirst's death. Donovan also mentions that the legalities of this might work against Hirst. This is because unfortunately in the United Kingdom, Hirst is a citizen in that country, copyright laws only last up until 70 years after an artist's death. This is a mention of previous posthumous work from artists: Sol Lewitt and his wall drawings for example, and how because this has happened already and has been successful at this point, there is no telling how it might work out for Hirst.
Lastly, Donovan talks about the market value of posthumous works and how that might affect Hirst's plans. Part of the reason why it might not work in favor of Hirst is in the conversation of authenticity. Critics probably won't want artwork that was created by someone else even if the original design was created from Hirst himself.
For my analysis of this conversation, I have a few questions. Firstly, when does Hirst plan on making these 200 notebooks and if he has already done that, will he make more? I ask this because as an artist, I can assume that he usually has an everflowing brain of ideas. How does he plan on condensing this down to just 200? While 200 notebooks does seem like a large number, if I take a look at my own sketchbook I probably have over 200 sketches and ideas.
Second, How does Hirst guarantee that his estate will keep to this plan? Also how does Hirst know that people will buy these notebooks after his death? Especially after 200 years? His estate might not go with this plan a long while after his death because they might not see it as financially interesting. While his iconic works of art will always be known, there might not be an extreme interest in all of his artwork after his death. This is to not offend him or his artwork, but not every artist will be known after their death. There will always be new and iconic artwork that pops up and takes people's attention away.
The final thing I have to say about this conversation is that I am interested to see how this goes. This is one of the only times I am taking an interest in contemporary art so hopefully I will have the honor of seeing Hirst's plan come to fruition, whenever that shall be.
Donovan, Alexa. “200 Years Later: Damien Hirst Plans to ‘Create’ Art Posthumously Dot Dot Dot - Center for Art Law.” Center for Art Law - At the Intersection of Visual Arts and the Law, 12 Aug. 2025, itsartlaw.org/art-law/200-years-later-damien-hirst-plans-to-create-art-posthumously-dot-dot-dot/#post-74377-footnote-ref-37.
Scarff, Oli. Damien Hirst poses with The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living at Tate Modern in 2012. 28 May 2025. Damien Hirst Says He Will Keep Making Artworks 200 Years After He Dies, https://news.artnet.com/art-world/damien-hirst-will-keep-making-artworks-after-dies-2650250. Accessed 10 Sept. 2025.
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ReplyDeleteDamien Hirst's intention to create works of art posthumously raises interesting issues. Hirst means to assert his artistic vision through notebooks relying on others to take up and realise his vision. The ideas that Hirst documents in his notebook series will be introduced in a totally separate time and at some unknown location. How will these ideas fit the time and place? Will they be relevant and if so how? Will the divergence become a point of interest or diminish the work's standing as art, rendering it as a commodity instead.
ReplyDeleteCurrent events could have significant influence the work's production or will the production team attempt to remain as true to Hirst's vision? If other artists attempt similar projects, could an AI be used to represent an artist's vision strictly within their prescription? Issues of waste, corrupted interpretations, or social expression deemed inappropriate for that future time and place could damage the artist's legacy. Future events or even general contexts cannot be predicted decades ahead, thus risks are impossible to judge.
The biggest pushback may come from the artists of the time who will have fewer and fewer spaces to exhibit if more generations of dead artists keep producing through surrogates.