PROPERTY FROM A VERY IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION

* This lot is sold to benefit the Asian Cultural Council

Provenance:
Artist's studio

ABOUT THE WORK

Parodies are always tagged together in modern exhibitions and pieces to gain a burst of attraction to the public. This Untitled sculpture is just one of the many takes of Spanish artist Eugenio Merino in establishing and paving the way to channel a social commentary on the English artist, entrepreneur and art collector Damien Hirst, who gained intriguing attention throughout Europe. Merino have modeled this piece to Hirst with his “holding the famous skull” that represents the latter’s “For the Love of God” piece that consists of a platinum cast of an 18th-century human skull, fully encrusted with 8,601 diamonds, which sparked controversy in the art world due to its price of about $100 million. It did not take long for Damien Hirst to notice the parodies of himself in the works of Merino; thus the reason why the two artists are well-known for their exchange of tirades with regards on defending their work and artistic styles - making this piece a living fragment between the feuds of Europe’s two modern artists. This work is part of the series produced by Eugenio Merino on creating and exposing the principles of Damien Hirst. It is the artist’s implication that forms are bound by the idea of telling a different perspective, laying interpretations, and even structuring a critique, in hopes to cross the lines and boundaries between the artists’ creative endeavor and his/her own personal dogmas.