MYTH AND LEGEND - Myth (2010)

With Myth and Legend, Damien Hirst translates two creatures from the world of mythology into an almost scientific reality. At first glance, the unicorn and the winged horse appear as familiar symbols of beauty, hope and imagination. Yet parts of their skin have been removed, revealing muscles, tendons and bones beneath.

The two sculptures continue a central theme in Hirst’s work: the encounter between science and belief, life and death, imagination and reality. By revealing the anatomy of these mythical creatures, the artist treats them as if they were real living beings. It is precisely this contradiction that gives the works their particular fascination. The myth is dissected and, in doing so, seems almost more believable.

The original monumental sculptures Myth and Legend were created in 2010 and 2011. Damien Hirst subsequently translated the two works into porcelain for Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg. Created in 2016, the sculptures were made and painted entirely by hand and issued in editions of 20 each.

Their realization presented the manufactory with an unusual challenge. It was not only the animals’ external forms that had to be translated into porcelain, but also their exposed anatomy. Skin, muscles, bones, wings and horn become individual sculptural and painterly elements. The monumental originals are thus transformed into two highly complex porcelain figures in which Hirst’s idea is preserved down to the smallest anatomical detail.

•