Damien Hirst

Art and fame together are like a desire to live forever. 
—Damien Hirst

Marking the opening of the new gallery in Gstaad, Gagosian is pleased to present Myths, Legends and Monsters, an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Damien Hirst. Produced over the past fifteen years, these works have not previously been exhibited.

Myths, Legends and Monsters (2007–) is a series of monochromatic oil paintings that depict legendary artistic, political, and pop-cultural personalities including Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Bowie, Sharon Tate, and Andy Warhol. Reconsidering what makes such figures lastingly iconic, Hirst calls into question contemporary notions of celebrity and identity, influence and notoriety. The series’ subjects are all complex individuals—far from being straightforward heroes or villains, they possess aspects of all three elements of the title. “I tried to represent humanity—or, often, a lack of it—in all its facets,” Hirst explains.

By rendering the subjects of Myths, Legends and Monsters in black and white, Hirst introduces a powerful aura of nostalgia to the project, a persistent suggestion of fading memories and times past. He also establishes a striking contrast with the intense and varied color on display in other well-known bodies of his work such as the extensive Spot Paintings series and, more recently, the Veil paintings. “I felt a need to let the color drain away,” he notes, “and explore something more binary.” The exhibition’s pencil drawings, made after the paintings but of equal significance to the artist, underscore this exclusive focus.