Striking Show of 42 Works by Damien Hirst as Print Maker Opens at the Bowes Museum

DURHAM.- Following a £12m refurbishment, The Bowes Museum brings a global name to the Barnard Castle treasure house this autumn with the opening of Damien Hirst: Print Maker.

This world class exhibition, curated by former Turner Prize judge Greville Worthington, will explore this foremost contemporary artist through his renowned print works.

The striking show of 42 works, many unseen by the public, has been loaned by several northern collectors and is one not to miss. With the support of these private collectors, the Museum has drawn together Hirst’s best quality prints to form the first exhibition to re-establish a contemporary programme at The Bowes Museum.

In the process of print making Hirst uses a variety of techniques to achieve his aims. Since the 1990s he has produced a range of high quality prints, often proving technically difficult and complex, exploring similar themes to those in his paintings and installations.

The works are ambitious, testing the boundaries of print making as a skill, and this exhibition brings together his most impressive pieces in terms of both scale and technical ability.

The exhibition, which opens on Saturday 6 November 2010, incorporates themes of opposites such as life and death, necessity and luxury & black and white; examining the complications and frailties of human existence. The Museum’s exhibition gallery will be specially decorated to complement Hirst’s work.

Damien Hirst: Print Maker includes series of works such as The Last Supper – a set of 13 prints designed to mimic drug packaging; using humour and pathos to question whether drugs are as vital to man’s survival as food. The display also includes a stunning print of For the Love of God – portraying the artist’s famous diamond skull sculpture.

Adrian Jenkins, Director of The Bowes Museum, said: “It’s time to focus on another potential audience for us, having gone through this major refurbishment. The stunning transformation and the contemporary exhibition fit well together.”

Curator Greville Worthington said: “Working with The Bowes Museum and North of England based collectors has focused me on the wealth of interest in contemporary and historical art collections in the North.

“I can think of no better way to articulate this than to stage an exhibition by one of the world’s best known contemporary artists in such an interesting and developing museum as The Bowes.”