Damien Hirst

An extraordinary cultural operation that creates a dialogue, natural and inevitable in terms of materials and themes, between Damien Hirst, the most controversial artist of our times, and the classical statuary on display in the museum. The sculptures produced over the years by the British artist and his new Colour Space series of paintings seem conceived to be associated with the works, colours, ancient and modern materials that the Galleria Borghese preserves, and which forms its built fabric. The volume, which thoroughly studies the themes of the exhibition, presents photographs of the exhibition, with the works of Hirst exhibited in the rooms of the museum, and numerous material details of contemporary and ancient works, in an illusory interplay that the eye cannot escape. The installation view is followed by illustrated essays by the curators and the art historian Geraldine Leardi. Anna Coliva, former director of the Galleria Borghese, tackles the concept of the statue, which contains the overall identity of the collection, while Mario Codognato, the leading expert on Damien Hirst' oeuvre, analyses his works on canvas and his painting, which "in many ways breaks down the barrier between art and death", with a focus on the new series presented in the exhibition. Geraldine Leardi recounts the exhibition through its rooms, studying the material, time frame and seriality of the works. The volume closes with a list of all the works on display. Exhibition: Galleria Borghese, Rome, Italy (10.05. - 10.10.2021).