Damien Hirst at Houghton Hall

Colour Space Paintings and Outdoor Sculptures

New paintings by Damien Hirst, never seen in public, on display at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, with previously known art sculptures throughout House and Gardens. Hirst will be hanging about 50 new paintings in Houghton’s staterooms alongside some of his most celebrated sculptures in the gardens and corridors.

This stunning new exhibition contrasting modern art with period-decor historical hall will feature fresh paintings by Damien Hirst, some of which have never been seen before in public. They are to be displayed in the State Rooms at Houghton Hall, with some of his most lauded sculptures installed throughout the 18th-century house and gardens.

The new Colour Space series of paintings are a looser development of the iconic Spot Paintings which are among the artist’s most well-known artworks.

The six sculptures in the park will include Virgin Mother which was shown in the courtyard of the Royal Academy in 2006, and Charity which was installed on Hoxton Square in 2003 and outside the Royal West of England Academy of Art in Bristol in 2011.

Inside the house will be Saint Bartholomew, Exquisite Pain in the Entrance Hall plus two smaller kinetic sculptures from the artist’s ‘levitation’ series in the Stone Hall.

The show’s curator, Mario Codognato, said the works, were a looser, more organic response to the spot paintings. “They are literally going to replace Old Master paintings [at Houghton] and will be displayed like they are Old Master paintings, in a very different way than if it was a classic white cube gallery.”

He said there would be a contrast between the historical splendour of the rooms and the works, but visitors would also see “how classic and iconic” the Hirst images had become. “It is an absolutely amazing space and is a very interesting experiment for Damien to show in such a context.”

Houghton’s owner, Lord Cholmondeley, said he was delighted to have the opportunity to exhibit Hirst. “It is perhaps the first time that Hirst has shown a significant body of work in a formal country house setting. William Kent’s gilded interiors will be transformed for the duration of the show.” – The Guardian.