Idolatry, illusion, glitz and greed in Damien Hirst's seminal sculpture and painting cycles
In 2010, Gagosian Gallery staged a seminal exhibition of Damien Hirst's (born 1965) paintings and sculptures. Titled
End of an Era
, it addressed concepts of illusion and reality, myth and idolatry, and took its name from the central sculpture in the exhibition: a severed bull's head in a gold vitrine. The work served as a sequel to Hirst's 2008 sculpture
The Golden Calf
, a formaldehyde-preserved bull.
Alongside this sculpture, the exhibition showed Hirst's
Diamond Fact Paintings
for the first time--a series of photorealist depictions of the world's most illustrious jewels--as well as two
Diamond Cabinets
. This catalog collects these pieces and includes a catalogue raisonné of each series (
Gold Tanks, Diamond Cabinets
and
). The publication also features a conversation between Hans Ulrich Obrist and Hirst.