Art

Joining the sometimes diabolical watercooler Hirst discussion thanks to his spot prints at MCQ

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copyright Damien Hirst

The Details

40 Spot Woodcuts
Through April 26, hours vary, opening reception January 31, 5-7 p.m.
MCQ Fine Art, 620 S. 7th St., 366-9339

At the end of a seemingly crappy year—if there is such a thing for one of the world’s most famous, controversial and financially successful artists—Damien Hirst split with dealer Larry Gagosian in December. This came after the vitriolic panning of his realist painting exhibit at White Cube and amid reports that his direct-to-auction works went down in value considerably while others didn’t sell at all.

Now after all of that, we get to join the ongoing and sometimes diabolical Hirst watercooler discussions, inspired by an all-Hirst exhibit opening in Las Vegas: 40 Spot Woodcuts at MCQ Fine Art. We won’t have the pills, the formaldehyde or the diamond-encrusted skull connecting Hirst with his theme of death, but it’s still a rare opportunity to see what some of the fuss has been about. We last recall seeing Hirst in town in 2008, with “Evangelists 2—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John” at the Las Vegas Art Museum’s Las Vegas Collects Contemporary exhibit.

The spot prints, purchased through Paragon Press in London after gallery owner Michele Quinn saw a handful at Art Basel in Switzerland last summer, vary in size, color and arrangement and arrive one year after his spot paintings showed at 11 Gagosian galleries worldwide. Let the fun begin.

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