Is modern art a trick? Damien Hirst has burnt his own paintings and replaced them with digital copies. Some think this is a new low for art.
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UK's richest artist sets fire to his own work
Is modern art a trick? Damien Hirst has burnt his own paintings and replaced them with digital copies. Some think this is a new low for art.
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What's happening?
Damien Hirst is an artist. He has made millions of pounds from shocking the public. He once cut a cow in half and put it in an art gallery. But some think his latest work is the most shocking yet.
The Currency is made up of 10,000 tiny paintings. He sold each one for $2,000 (£1,767). The buyers had to choose whether to keep the painting or be given a digitalInvolving the use of computers. copy called a non-fungibleReplaceable or interchangeable. token (NFT).
Nearly half of the buyers chose the second option. And now Hirst has started to burn all of their paintings. On Tuesday, he burned the first 1,000 artworks.
Hirst says NFTs are as important as art you can touch. In 2021, people worldwide spent £36bn on NFTs.
But others say they are a waste of money. Critics think people are tricked into spending a lot of money and getting nothing in return.
Find out more
Is modern art a trick?
Yes! This is a new low. People are paying money for nothing. Soon, NFTs will be worth very little and many will lose out.
No! Art is supposed to be shocking. This is just the latest form of modern art. One day, everyone will accept it.
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Keywords
Digital - Involving the use of computers.
Fungible - Replaceable or interchangeable.
UK’s richest artist sets fire to his own work
Up in flames: Damien Hirst will burn 4,851 artworks worth £10m. Glossary
Digital - Involving the use of computers.
Fungible - Replaceable or interchangeable.