Damien Hirst was as mischievous as ever in a recent interview in The Times, saying that he “sort of” turned down a knighthood. However, the cheekiest topic discussed in the wide-ranging conversation are the artist's supposed plans for his “posthumous drawings”—instructions for art that can be made and sold in his name up to 200 years after his death, with one work to be made each year.
“The idea is to have a certificate that says ‘Year One after Damien Dies: you’ve got the right to make this sculpture and you can trade the certificate before it isn’t made,’” Hirst explains. “I had an idea for a sculpture of a piggy in formaldehyde back in 1991 that I never made. So, if that was in book 145 you could make that pig [145 years after his death] and date it 1991,” he adds. This is possible a reference to the recent controversy which revealed that some of the artist's works made in 2016 were labelled as being from the 1990s—Hirst said the dates referred to the years he conceived the works.
He also keeps a keen eye on the commercial side of art. “I can feel there’s a big turn in the art market, with all the uncertainty in the world,” he says. “You must keep up with the market and avoid making loads of work that never sells.” Wise words indeed.