Damien Hirst to design Brit Award

It was announced on Thursday that winners at the 2013 Brit Awards will be taking home their very own piece of modern art by Damien Hirst, who has been chosen to design the latest statuette.

Previous designers of the award have included fashion designer Vivienne Westwood in 2011 and English pop artist Sir Peter Blake for this year’s ceremony. 

Hirst is better known for his controversial installations of halved animals in formaldehyde, symmetrical dotty paintings and diamond skull that have helped him gain a celebrity status since the 1990s, and have also made him Britain’s richest living artist today.

A retrospective of Hirst’s work at the Tate Modern in London has recently been completed, which has become the most visited solo show in the gallery’s history. Despite this, he has hit the headlines over the last week as his showcase art has not withstood the economic downturn. Some pieces have dropped in value by as much as 30% from their peak in 2008.

What the statuettes look like will not be known until the night of the ceremony, on 20^th February 2013 at London’s O2 Arena. Actor James Corden has been announced as the host for the fourth time, matching Radio One DJ Chris Evans’ record. 

One Direction are expected to get several nominations after storming the charts around the globe this year, something that would be unusual for a ceremony that tries to overlook mainstream “pop” groups for more authentic acts.

Michael Hamilton