Controversial British artist, Damien Hirst, is facing backlash after being accused of backdating over 1,000 paintings in his NFT project called “The Currency,” as reported by The Guardian.
Hirst, known for his controversial works featuring animals preserved in formaldehyde, is now under fire for allegedly misrepresenting the creation dates of around 10% of the 10,000 physical paintings linked to corresponding NFTs in “The Currency.”
Launched in 2021 with a price tag of $2000, Hirst claimed that all the physical paintings in the NFT project were individually crafted by hand in 2016. However, sources revealed to The Guardian that these dotted paintings were actually mass-produced by a team of artists between 2018 and 2019 in the U.K. using a production line similar to Henry Ford’s.
Footage from inside Hirst’s studio in 2019, verified by the media outlet, provides evidence supporting the claims. Hirst’s lawyers did not deny the allegations but clarified that the 2016 date represents the conceptual inception of “The Currency” rather than the actual production date of each painting.
Those who purchased “The Currency” had the option to keep either the physical painting or its digital counterpart. In 2022, Hirst made headlines by burning the physical versions of paintings chosen by buyers who opted for the NFT, aiming to transfer the artwork’s value digitally.
Backdating, the act of assigning an incorrect year to an artwork, is generally disapproved of in the art world. This is not the first time Hirst has faced accusations of misdating his pieces, with The Guardian revealing earlier in March that three of his formaldehyde sculptures from the 1990s were actually created in 2017.
If proven true, these allegations could tarnish Hirst’s reputation further, raise doubts about the authenticity of his works, and potentially decrease the value of his NFT project.
