10. Damien Hirst Verity Statue Ilfracombe Devon
This monster has blighted the shoreline of the idyllic British coastline village of Ilfracombe. Damien Hirst’s tasteless ‘Verity’ statue depicts a pregnant teenager holding aloft a sword. Taller than the Angel of the North, this bronze statue is based on a modern allegory representing truth and justice. The work is half on and half off the bone, as the sculpture is anatomically dissected on one side revealing the entrails, unborn foetus and skull of the female figure.
Damien Hirst was born in Bristol in 1965. He studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London from 1986 to 1989 and is considered by many to be the leading figure of the group known as “Young British Artists”. The YBAs are characterised by their entrepreneurial spirit, independence and their ability to manipulate the media.Hirst dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. His early career was closely linked with the collector Charles Saatchi, however, over the last few years Hirst has distanced himself from this association. Hirst’s work explores the uncertainty at the core of human experience; love, life, death, loyalty and betrayal. His work has been exhibited widely, in Britain, the USA.