This was Hirst's first collaborative work, painted for the Aids charity Crusaid. Paul Simonon was an art student in the mid-1970s before leaving to play bass guitar for the punk band The Clash. Since the demise of The Clash in 1984 he has become a full-time painter. Simonon painted the Citroën car and Hirst added his trademark spots over the top. Hirst has produced a series of spot paintings, featuring spots of regular size and distribution, painted on canvases of different shapes and sizes.
Damien Hirst (English, born 1965)
Hirst was born in Bristol and grew up in Leeds, moving to London in 1986 to study at Goldsmith's College. While still a student, he organised the enormously successful 'Freeze' exhibition, which featured his own work as well as that of fellow students. This brought him to the attention of the highly influential art collector Charles Saatchi and is generally seen as the starting point for the 'Young British Artists' movement. The central theme of Hirst's work is mortality. He is best known for the 'Natural History' series of works, in which dead animals are preserved in tanks. He is also interested in medical paraphernalia and has produced series of spot paintings, spin paintings and steel and glass cases.
Paul Simonon (English, born 1955)
Paul Simonon studied at Byam Shaw School of Art, London from 1975 to 1976. He gave up his studies to become bass guitarist with the punk rock band 'The Clash'. Simonon continued to paint during his time with the band, and produced the cover of 'The Clash's' album 'From Here to Eternity.' After the demise of the band in 1984, Simonon devoted himself to drawing and painting full-time. He lives in London and Spain.
