For the first time in Germany, some of Damien Hirst's most iconic works were on display in a major solo exhibition at the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art (MUCA) from 26 October 2023 to 24 November 2024.
"For the Love of God" (2007), Damien Hirst's famous platinum cast of a human skull set with 8,601 diamonds, was also on display in the artist's major survey exhibition at the MUCA, in a special exhibition limited in time until the end of January 2024.
The Diamond Skull embodies Hirst's fascination with diamonds and underlines their inherent uncertainty about their value. It confronts the competitive nature of the diamond industry and the capitalist society that sustains it.
The work was presented as part of the exhibition entitled "The Weight of Things along with over 40 other works, including installations, sculptures and paintings, some of which have never been seen before. The exhibition included some of Hirst's most iconic series, including Natural History (Formaldehyde Sculptures), Spin Paintings, Medicine Cabinets, Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, Cherry Blossoms and Spot- and Butterfly Paintings.
Throughout his career, Hirst reflected on the complex relationships between beauty, religion, science, life and death. Hirst first came to public attention in London in 1988 when, during his second year at Goldsmiths College, he conceived and curated the group exhibition Freeze, which sparked a new wave of British artists reinventing contemporary art.
Since 1991, in many of his most famous works, Hirst used Formaldehyde used to explore the relationship between art and science. "The Weight of Things" brought together several examples of this impressive series.
Other iconic series that can be seen in the exhibition Spot Paintingsa series that began in 1986 and consists of colourful dots that look as if they have been painted by a machine, and Spin Paintingswhich are known for their energetic bursts of colour and always contain a random element.
Damien Hirst began experimenting for his "Spin Paintings" series in 1992. For this series, Hirst developed a special device that uses centripetal force to spread paint on a circular canvas. The final result depends on the speed, the duration of the rotation, the fluidity of the paint and the choice of colour.
In "The Weight of Things", a total of seven works from Hirst's "Spin Paintings" series were on display. Along the large wall on the ground floor of the MUCA, these colourful, large-format canvases had found a prominent place in the overall exhibition. In addition to their dimensions, their mechanical rotation fascinated viewers as soon as they entered the exhibition hall.
The random compositional technique of these Spin Paintings contrasts with Hirst's Spot Paintings, but both are variations on the idea of an imaginary mechanical painting.
From 2018, Hirst worked at the "Cherry Blossoms" series. It comprises a total of 107 large-format canvases. With this series, Hirst reinterprets the traditional and popular theme of flower depiction with cheerful irony. He combines thick brushstrokes and elements of gestural painting. From this series, "Spring Blossoms Blooming" from 2019 was on display in the MUCA Halls.
The Largest Hirst Spot Painting of the world can be seen on the museum wall outside. In front of the MUCA is also the Sculpture Legend (2011) exhibited.
"I am so happy and excited to have been invited by Christian and Stephanie Utz to present this exhibition, The Weight of Things, in Munich, where I have the opportunity to show many of my earlier works through to my later series such as Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable. And a huge new outdoor spot painting that will be visible from all over the city. I'm very excited to be working on this exhibition and bringing it all together in such a unique and dynamic space at MUCA." - Damien Hirst
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