Head with Chorrera Headpiece

2016

Gold, silver

23.62 × 10.92 × 16 cm (9 5/16 × 4 5/16 × 6 5/16 in.)

Head with Chorrera Headpiece looks astonishingly familiar. The noble materials – gold and silver – and protruding helmet evoke glorious Antiquity, but the young, smiling, made-up face suggests a Barbie doll.

Said to be from the pre-Columbian Chorrera culture, this piece was supposedly extracted from the underwater depths during the excavation of the ship Apistos, which began in 2008. But a world-famous face betrays its true identity. The combination of ancient and modern references recalls other works by Damien Hirst, such as Goofy or Mickey.

Hirst made Head with Chorrera Headpiece for his 2017 "Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable" show at the Punta della Dogana, where it was exhibited for the first time. The sculpture is in the Pinault Collection.
Exhibitions
Damien Hirst's other artwork