"D is for Diamonds" is one of the pages in Damien Hirst's new alphabet book for children. ABC, which will be published by Other Criteria on Oct. 1, features a collection of Hirst's works, one for each letter of the alphabet. For the letter D, the accompanying picture is Hirst's 2007 diamond skull titled For the Love of God.
In an interview about the new book with The Guardian, Hirst claims that his interest in art as a child came from the violent imagery of Catholicism—"seeing the brutality of all those images of flayed apostles and tortured saints was a pretty strong introduction." While much of his work is about fear of death and mortality, he claims that children are not so afraid of his creations. "My intention with The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991)," he says, "was to replicate the sort of fear you might feel on being confronted with a shark. It's the fear of death, but I've always noticed kids love it rather than being frightened of it."
For an artist who has decorated everything from T-shirts to trash bins with his art, a children's book is not so far fetched. ABC will be available from Other Criteria for £15 here tomorrow.
RELATED: Art Beat: The 10 Damien Hirst Artworks You Should Know
[via The Guardian]
