Damien Hirst has been accused of forgery by fellow English artist, Joe Machine. Not the first time Hirst has been in the tabloids for questionable art practices, the latest accusation calls out his Cherry Blossom paintings, which were recently on view in Paris.
In an interview with The Observer, Machine stated, “I saw Hirst’s cherry blossom paintings and, for a moment, I thought I was looking at my own paintings.” Machine first created the series back in 2006 as a way to move on from his criminal past and traumatic childhood witnessing pub fights and stabbings. “No one ever taught me how to paint. It was my way of dealing with my own past. My involvement with art certainly saved my life. I would have ended up in prison or dead otherwise,” he added.
Hirst, on the other hand, started his Cherry Blossom series in 2017 and has stated on a past occasion that he was inspired by both his past Veil paintings and his mother who used to paint cherry blossoms when Hirst was a child. Although Machine admits that Hirst’s is not a direct copy, it is strikingly similar — from “the very dark branches,” to the “powder-blue skies and the blotches of pink blossom.”
David Lee, an editor of The Jackdaw, added that “Hirst has a very long rap sheet,” when it comes to plagarism. “He’s even admitted to it, so it’s hard to give him the benefit of the doubt on any new occasion,” said Lee. Hirst’s representative have yet to comment on the matter.
In other art news, Rachel Hayden releases vibrant series of paintings via PLATFORM.
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