«IT'S CALLED GOSSIP AND OF COURSE IT'S AN OBSESSION OF MINE»

Damien Hirst is one savvy businessman. His publishing company Other Criteria, devoted to producing affordable limited editions and multiples, announced earlier this week that its Hinde Street store in London would sell a selection of skateboard decks he designed. This isn't the first time the decks, based on Hirst's famous Spin and Spot paintings, have been sold: the 200 on sale in July come from for the skateboard specialist and fashion company Supreme. The difference between the 2009 decks and the 2011 ones? None, except that now they're being sold directly through Hirst's own publishing company for a whole lot more money. The sale reflects a rapidly growing market for the decks, part of a series of collaborations between Supreme and famous artists including Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, and Christopher Wool. It also begs the question: does the high-end sale go against the democratic spirit in which the decks, originally marketed to young skaters alongside art fans, were made?

-Art Info
June 28 2011