From 2nd March until 23rd June 2024, Damien Hirst will stage a major exhibition at Château La Coste spanning the 500-acre estate and its five exhibition pavilions designed by some of the world’s most renowned architects including Renzo Piano, Oscar Niemeyer and Richard Rogers.
It’s beyond brilliant what Paddy McKillen has achieved at Château La Coste which is such a wonderful and unique place. I am thrilled and excited to be the first artist to do a takeover show and have my work exhibited across the whole estate, particularly in the mega pavilions designed by Frank Gehry, Oscar Niemeyer and Richard Rogers. Paddy McKillen is a genius and great friend and wonderful human and he makes the most amazing places for people to be. I’m so happy to be a part of Paddy’s vision.
Damien Hirst
Titled The Light That Shines, the presentation will feature sculptures and paintings, including some of Hirst’s most iconic series and some which have never been seen before. Throughout his prolific career, Hirst has reflected on the relationships between beauty, religion, science, life, and death. He is perhaps best known for his works employing formaldehyde, which he began in the early nineties. Key pieces from this series, titled ‘Natural History’, will go on view in the Renzo Piano Pavilion.
The butterfly is another iconic motif which the artist has continually interacted with as a means of exploring these themes. In the Richard Rogers Gallery, and exhibited for the first time, ‘The Empress
Paintings’ use red and black butterfly wings arranged into mesmerising kaleidoscopic-like patterns
and are named after powerful female rulers from history
‘Cosmos Paintings’ and sculptures from the ‘Meteorites’ and ‘Satellites’ series will also be shown for
the first time, in the Old Store Winehouse designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. After making the diamond skull For the Love of God, and putting a Spot painting on Mars, Hirst started to think about making a show that was not on earth. Inspired by the Hubble Space Telescope’s long-exposure images of a dark corner of the sky which revealed billions of stars, he painted canvases black and fixed them to the floor of his studio to overlay with paint. This floor became the ‘Cosmos Paintings’. ‘Satellites’ in bronze capture nostalgia and are loosely based on Degas’ bronze casts of his waxes, with Hirst using a Victorian type on their metal information labels to make them look both new and old. A group of these ‘Satellites’ have also been made of glass, in collaboration with Murano craftsmen. The bronze ‘Meteorites’, although invented, are reminiscent of meteorites that Hirst has seen in various natural history museums.
In the Oscar Niemeyer Auditorium, sculptures and lightboxes from ‘Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable’, a series of works that was first shown in 2017 across Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi in Venice, will be exhibited. The artist will also showcase his most recent series, ‘The Secret Gardens Paintings’, in the Bastide Gallery. Depicting vibrantly coloured flowers, the canvases feature an abstract layer of bright paint splatters.
In addition to the works presented in the pavilions, a selection of outdoor sculptures will be sited across the estate as part of the exhibition, including at Frank Gehry’s Music Pavilion and the Tadao Ando Art Centre.
This magnificent show has been an idea for many years. Amid laughs and giggles, chats and cups of tea, great ideas evolved as they do when Damien is his playful self. He has planned out the show to perfection. He has conceived each element to compliment both art and architecture, all set amongst Cezanne’s Provençal landscape. His paintings and sculpture, set in our galleries and this nature will come together to create one singular masterpiece. We are proud and honored at Chateau La Coste to host Damien, his amazing team and his life’s labor. We welcome everyone to experience Damien in beautiful Provence.
Paddy McKillen, Founder, Château La Coste,
Damien Hirst: The Light That Shines, 2nd March – 23rd June 2024 Château la Coste
