Damien Hirst Designs Spin Guitar For Music Charity

Hirst teams up with ‘Chili Pepper’ Flea to make limited edition £50k Bass

Damien Hirst has again teamed up with the California based band “Red Hot Chili Pepper’s” to create an original work of art. This time the focus is on Flea the bands bassist. Hirst has generously designed a limited edition bass guitar which will be sold for charity to benefit the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit organization,facilitating basic music education. The primary focus is on the youth in the community and all are welcome and encouraged to participate. The Conservatory offers private music lessons at a reasonable cost and grants scholarships to children in need, providing free lessons and instruments. The organization believes that the study of music enriches the life of the student as well as the community and society.
Hirst is no stranger to working with the band. Their latest CD cover was designed by the artist. Flea explained: “Hirst created this awesome CD cover for us, so thank you Damien. He did an amazing job. It was reasonable, we got the bro rate.” Flea added: “Damien actually made me a bass, a butterfly bass, it’s a beautiful thing. “It’s not just a piece of art to hang on a wall. The whole new album I play on it. This bass is kind of heavy for live — I don’t play Fenders that much live — but it’s beautiful”.
This special collaboration between Hirst and the  ‘Chili Peppers’ bassist is set for release on November 8. Profits from the sales of these special spin painted guitars are going towards Flea’s favourite charity, Silverlake Conservatory of Music. All guitars are signed by Flea and Damien Hirst on the back with the edition number punched on the base of the neck and the Hirst-Flea logo on the headstock. The Multi-Coloured Deluxe Spin Bass Guitars are an edition of 50 and come in a specially designed, hand spun case, including a ‘exquisite corpse’ drawing by Hirst and Flea; a 6 x 6” framed monochrome butterfly gloss on canvas; a unique photograph of Hirst and Flea holding the guitar and 20 specially designed plectrums. Two additional options are featured as well, all offered online. For those wanting to see them in person, an event will take place on November 8 at Other Criteria. The Guitars will cost £50,000 pounds each with case or 10,000 for another edition.

Last February, a Carparelli guitar painted by Hirst sold for $146,730 (U.S.) at Christie’s South Kensington in London. All proceeds went to War Child an international organization which supports children affected by conflict. Christie’s had estimated that the auction would fetch between £30,000 – £50,000) ($48,480 – $80,800 U.S.), but the price realized was far exceeded at £91,250, including the buyer’s premium. The buyer’s name was not disclosed.

Born in Bristol in 1965, Damien Hirst grew up in Leeds and studied at Goldsmiths College, London. Most notable amongst the exhibitions he curated whilst at college was Freeze, in 1988, in which he exhibited his work and that of his contemporaries. The exhibition is widely believed to have been the starting point of the Young British Artists’ careers, and a defining moment in kick-starting cutting edge British contemporary art.

Hirst’s body of work confronts the scientific, philosophical and religious aspects of human existence and includes sculpture, painting, drawing and printmaking. Arguably the world’s most famous living artist, he has exhibited widely and was awarded the Turner Prize in 1995 for ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’. In 2004, Hirst collaborated with Sarah Lucas and Angus Fairhurst to exhibit recent works at Tate Britain, under the title In-a-Gadda-da-Vida. In 2006, works from the artist’s murderme collection were exhibited at the Serpentine gallery, London: ‘In the darkest hour there may be light.‘ Visit The Other Criteria Website

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