Damien Hirst reveals plans for posthumous artworks in a characteristically provocative interview with The Times, the YBA casually dropped that he had “sort of” turned down a knighthood—but the real headline from the wide-ranging interview concerns his plans for art-making long after his death. The artist revealed details of his “posthumous drawings,” a conceptual framework that would allow new works to be created and sold under his name for up to 200 years after he’s gone.
Hirst described the scheme as a series of certificates, each granting permission to produce a specific artwork in a given year following his death. “Year One after Damien Dies: You’ve got the right to make this sculpture, and you can trade the certificate before it isn’t made,” he explained. Among the unrealised concepts is a 1991 idea for a pig preserved in formaldehyde—something that could, theoretically, be fabricated 200 years posthumously while still bearing the original date of conception.
The remark carries extra weight in light of the recent controversy surrounding Hirst’s dating practices. Earlier revelations showed that some of his pieces, physically created in 2016, were labelled as works from the 1990s, with the artist arguing that the dates reflected when the ideas were first conceived, not when they were materialised.
Never one to shy away from the realities of the art market, Hirst also shared his thoughts on its current state. “I can feel there’s a big turn in the art market, with all the uncertainty in the world,” he said. “You must keep up with the market and avoid making loads of work that never sells.”
True to form, Hirst remains as much a showman as an artist, blurring the lines between creation, commerce, and legacy with the same audacity that has defined his career. Whether discussing hypothetical future artworks or the pragmatics of market trends, he proves, once again, that he’s always thinking several moves ahead.
Top Photo: P C Robinson © Artlyst 2025
