Damien Hirst Faces Plagiarism Claims For ‘Very Similar’ Cherry Blossom Art
As Damien Hirst’s Cherry Blossom paintings make their transition from their Paris exhibit to Japan, it appears that new plagiarism claims are abloom. The artist, who on numerous occasions through the years has been criticized for seemingly borrowing the styles of other creators, is in the face of another accusation for the floral artworks.
Hirst has fended off past claims that his projects are copied, but one English painter by the name of Joe Machine is not so sure if he believes that. He told the Guardian that when he first saw Hirst’s cherry blossom artworks, “for a moment, I thought I was looking at my own paintings.”
“His [work] is so very similar to mine,” said Machine.
Machine noted that, although Hirst’s cherry blossoms aren’t identical to his versions, he pointed out clear resemblances in “the very dark branches, the powder-blue skies and the blotches of pink blossom.”
Hirst’s cherry blossom paintings
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Machine’s cherry blossom art
Machine’s cherry blossom artworks have been on display since 2006. Meanwhile, Hirst completed his series in November 2020 after working on it for three years.
The forlorn painter wonders if the seed for Hirst’s cherry blossom work had been planted in Hirst’s head at one of Machine’s art shows at Tramshed, Shoreditch, where Hirst’s Cock and Bull painting was also on display.
Hirst previously disclosed that the floral series draws from a childhood memory of his mother painting a cherry tree.
Machine’s cherry blossom art is personal to him too. “It was my way of dealing with my own past,” said the painter, who grew up in a violent household and had gone down a path of crime. The artist rejected that life upon becoming a father.
“My involvement with art certainly saved my life. I would have ended up in prison or dead otherwise,” said Machine.
Machine stressed that the possibility of Hirst copying other creators’ work is “not a joke to me,” adding: “He might be able to be flippant about it, but I don’t steal other people’s work. I’m incensed.”
According to the Guardian, Hirst’s cherry blossom artworks have sold for as much as £2.5 million (US$3.38 million). The highest anyone has paid for Machine’s cherry blossom paintings is £10,000 (US$13,510).
Hirst hasn’t responded to the allegations, but his silence has been filled with the reminder of an admission he famously made in 2018: “All my ideas are stolen anyway.”
[via The Guardian and inews.co.uk, images via various sources]
