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Five works from iconic Brit Artist, and member of the Young British Artists Damien Hirst will be available to enjoy from today through to January, including during each of the late night shopping evenings in town.
The exhibit launches at the Art for Guernsey hub in the Old Quarter, with free entry to view the pricey pieces, from one of the most famous names in British art.
David Ummels is the Chair of Art for Guernsey.
“We felt that it's going to be a cozy and chill winter, and we felt that conversations with Damien Hirst would kind of warm us up," he told Express this morning. "So, we have secured from a very kind collector five Damien Hirst pieces that are locally held.
"We're going to try our best to entertain the islanders and inspire them during the festive season.”
Pictured: Chair and Founder of Art for Guernsey, David Ummels next to the first Hirst on display.
From 18:00 today, Patrick Earle - a local artist who shares a similar abstract nature to Hirst - will share his thoughts on the pieces as part of the free event.
Mr Ummels said the chance to have your work side by side with world class art icons is something enjoyed by artists locally.
“Local artists are very proud to exhibit shoulder to shoulder with those artists. So that is a kind of an added value as well, because it elevates the whole thing. When we have a show of a local artist, we focus on the local artist, but if we happen to have one world class piece next door, it just brings more credibility to the whole thing.”
Pictured: The strongroom at Art for Guernsey was the key to displaying artworks on the level of Damien Hirst, allowing for the "proper care" of the pieces.
The display is in part thanks to the strongroom, which is sponsored by Julius Bär.
Essentially it can create the perfect conditions for storing and displaying art with this level of celebrity. From temperature control, to the extra levels of security, Mr Ummels says it is a key part in increasing their offering to the people of Guernsey.
“It's part and parcel of our original vision when we opened the new gallery two and a half years ago, was to have effectively, as what we call a strong room.
“There's a special goodwill on the island, and we wanted to capture that. And if you ask nicely, there's a lot of private collectors with amazing unseen art walks and collections, and as long as you can represent to them that the art will be well cared of they delighted with the idea to offer a free opportunity to the community to engage with with the art and, most importantly, with the schools.”
The pieces are on display from a private collection locally, allowing art lovers and those with an interest to see the pieces created by Hirst.
Mr Ummels says the goodwill shown by collectors, who were keen to help, highlights the seasonal feelings of good will and togetherness.
Pictured: This particular Damien Hirst piece won't be displayed locally for a little while, but thanks to Art for Guernsey for allowing Express the opportunity to have a sneak peak.
“I think for us being able to tap into this hidden asset, which is like the special good will and the private collections, and display them publicly for free. What sort of message does it send? It sends a message of kindness as well a message of togetherness. And I think for Guernsey, it's fantastic.”
“Now we have a free flow of world class arts coming our way, and we're going to be rolling. We have a very exciting 2025 pipeline for the strong room. I think it's gonna go from strength to strength, like we'll offer little touches of world class culture every so often.”
You can learn more about Art for Guernsey and the work they do on their website HERE.
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