DAMIEN HIRST is to open a new art gallery in Vauxhall by 2014, to be filled by his own personal collection of modern art.
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“It’s my Saatchi gallery, basically,” said Hirst, “a place to show my collection of contemporary art. It feels bad having it all in crates. It’s basically Francis Bacon and beyond.”
The gallery is to made out of an old theatre production workshop on Newport Street and is to include six spaces, a cafe, a restaurant and a souvenir shop.
“It’s about as big as the Whitechapel,” added Hirst to The Observer.
Apart from the material by Francis Bacon mentioned, other artists whose work Hirst owns include Tracey Emin, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince and Andy Warhol. These, anyway, formed the basis of Hirst’s show at the Serpentine in 2006 when he laid out his collection for public view.
Meanwhile, Hirst’s own artistic efforts go on display at the Tate Modern, from 4 April to 9 September in a show the artist describes as “a map of my life as an artist, not a greatest hits”.
