Exhibits, Shows and Displays

Where did Damien Hirst get the butterflies?

I'm doing a presentation on Damien Hirst for my Art Appreciation class and I can't find anywhere on the internet that tells where Damien Hirst got the butterflies for his exhibit titled, Superstition. Did he harvest them himself then kill them and use them for the pieces or did he get a load of dead butterflies from somewhere? Don't worry, as soon as I can get to the library I'm checking there too! Your help is appreciated!

Public Comments

1. This is a tough one. I know they are tropical butterflies. When he uses them in paintings he they are sometimes still alive! heres my source on that http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Personal_Finance/Art_/Damien_Hirsts_butterfly_series_set_to_shock_art_lovers_in_India/articleshow/3409097.cms Wish I could answer that better! This is not directly related to your question but its an interesting fact not many Americans know about him- (he said this) ""The thing about 9/11 is that it's kind of like an artwork in its own right ... Of course, it's visually stunning and you've got to hand it to them on some level because they've achieved something which nobody would have ever have thought possible - especially to a country as big as America. So on one level they kind of need congratulating, which a lot of people shy away from, which is a very dangerous thing."[22] The next week, following public outrage at his remarks, he issued a statement through his company, Science Ltd:" Here is another interesting bit- "In 1999, chef Marco Pierre White said Hirst's Butterflies On Mars had plagiarised his own work, Rising Sun, which he then put on display in the restaurant Quo Vadis in place of the Hirst work.[40] In 2000, Hirst was sued for breach of copyright over his sculpture, Hymn, which was a 20-foot (6.1 m), six ton, enlargement of his son Connor's 14" Young Scientist Anatomy Set, designed by Norman Emms, 10,000 of which are sold a year by Hull-based toy manufacturer Humbrol for £14.99 each.[20] Hirst paid an undisclosed sum to two charities, Children Nationwide and the Toy Trust in an out-of-court settlement,[20] as well as a "good will payment" to Emms.[40] The charitable donation was less than Emms had hoped for. Hirst also agreed to restrictions on further reproductions of his sculpture.[20]"