Freedom Not Genius: Works from Damien Hirst’s MurderMe Collection

Hirst began his collection in the late 1980s by exchanging his own works with those of his contemporaries and artist friends. It has grown to include works by many international artists of earlier generations: not only postwar masters like Bacon and Giacometti, but also pivotal figures in the history of twentieth-century art, such as Richard Hamilton, Mario Merz, Bruce Nauman, Richard Prince and Kurt Schwitters. Two themes recur frequently in this selection–memento mori and the animal kingdom–and together they are capable of communicating the spirit of the entire collection, combining masterpieces of contemporary art with fascinating specimens from the natural world. An independent curator, author and art advisor, Geuna has contributed a perceptive essay on the scope and nature of this collection as well as a penetrating interview with Damien Hirst. Another essay by Mario Codognato (writer, and curator at BlainSouthern) explores Hirst’s dual role as artist/collector, and analyses his considerable influence, both on his contemporaries and on younger artists whose work is still developing. Accompanying stunning colour plates of all the works in the exhibition, there are also brief biographies of the artists involved.