Damien Hirst: Relics

First off, kudos to getting Hirst's work seen in Doha. That's a big deal!I love art books. This one I was particularly looking forward to because of the exhibition's social relevance to recent Arab events. The first big disappointment was that the chairperson of the Qatar Museums Authority didn't have anything remarkable to say about placing an artist like Hirst in such a conservative country. It was half a page of shallow commercial glorification peppered with "Qatari society is at a pivotal moment in its history" with no indication as to why. It makes me think Hirst was imported because of his mainstream commercial success and not because of his work.The second big disappointment is that we get exactly zero images from the exhibition. It's all stock photos of Hirst's work. How were they presented at the museum? Did the curator copy what the Tate had recently done? Did they do something new and different? We have no idea. There's no images, not even of the building. There's nothing in the book you can't see by just doing a google image search.The interview by Nicholas Serota is somewhat current and I'm glad it's included. It says nothing about art in the Arab world. The essay from Francesco Bonami is typical Bonami. It also says nothing about art in the Arab world. The essay by Abdellah Karroum called "Hirst in Arabia" is embarrassing. Here is a chance to say something. Good title. But then a bunch of talking around the art happens for a few hundred words. Karroum actually says "...Hirst's work is no less strange in Doha than it is in London..." What? No it's not. Placing a piece like "Away from the Flock" in Doha is remarkable. It has a completely different meaning and it's extremely confrontational. Hirst is the antithesis of traditional values. Especially traditional Muslim ones. Worst essay on art I've ever read.It's like an attempt was made at subverting the social order of Doha and the oppressive Muslim culture but everyone's scared to say something.Oh, and the Further Reading reference section in the back is comprehensive but not worth buying the book for.

I was at home twiddling my thumbs in anticipation of this Skira book on Hirst, being that there are no comprehensive monographs on Hirst out in the market. I gotta say that I was really disappointed by a book from the usually stellar Skira. First, the paper and printing quality are poor, with a lot of the reproductions washed out and in many cases the images and colors bleed through!!! I couldn't believe it.The layout and design could have been much better, and the introduction, and writing in general tends toward the hagiographic end of things, in some places referring to Hirst as "our hero". The writing does nothing to really go beyond the artist as a celebrity and illuminate more of his motivations, inspiration and purpose. One should certainly never judge a book by its cover, and this book has a great one, but the poor execution inside leaves a lot to be desired.

Good

Said that I wouldnt receive this before Christmas (probably to not have any disappointed customers) but I was delighted to get it really promptly and in perfect condition

Terrific retrospective! Very interesting interview! Excellent book!!!

This is a great retrospective look at Damien Hirst's work. It features some of his earliest pieces to his newest. There is also a very interesting interview with Hirst, along with some essays by critics, that are fascinating as well

Hirst produces wonderful books that are always worth the investment.

Amazing book!