Oh, it all starts innocently enough. Attracted to the pretty colours, the viewer leans in and says, “Oh, what marvelous butterflies! How beautiful!” And then the questioning begins. “Wait a minute, are those real butterflies?” Well, of course they are. This is Damien Hirst we are talking about. Lots and lots of real butterflies, all ever so carefully applied to paint. Hirst’s latest pieces take their titles from a combination of Philip Larkin poems and religious iconography, although Hirst claims he was more influenced by Victorian tea trays than stained glass windows. Nonetheless, Superstition, the exhibition that is taking place concurrently in London and Los Angeles, is all gothic arches and rose windows. And controversy. Of course.

More butterflies tomorrow.

Artist: Damien Hirst
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