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'verity statue' by damien hirst erected in ilfracombe, UK
damien hirst's 66 ft bronze sculpture 'verity' has been erected at the seaside town of ilfracombe, UK.
the statue depicts a naked pregnant woman with half of her body exposing ligaments and viscera while holding aloft a sword and
standing on a base of legal books. the piece - with 'verity' meaning 'truth' in italian - represents a 'modern allegory of truth and justice'
and references hirst's earlier bronze artwork 'virgin mother' from 2005.
'verity' was made in over forty individual castings with sand moulds at pangolin editions foundry in gloucestershire.
the frame was made in a single piece of stainless steel. the sword and upper arm is a single piece of glass fibre reinforced polymer
and the entire piece underwent significant windtunnel testing in order to ensure it was capable of withstanding the forces
of high winds and sea spray.
the figure, to be on loan to the town for 20 years, has caused a controversial stir amongst a number of locals who sent in hundreds
of letters of objection or of support, however the north devon council approved of its construction earlier in the year which
designboom covered here.

the piece - with 'verity' meaning 'truth' in italian - represents a 'modern allegory of truth and justice'
photos © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.

the figure, to be on loan to the town for 20 years, has caused a controversial stir amongst a number of locals
photo © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.

the 66 ft bronze sculpture being hoisted into place
photo © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.

the piece references hirst's earlier work from 2005
photos © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.

photo © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.

the casting model of the sculpture's right hand is sanded down
photo © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.

each panel is individually metal worked in preparation for assembly
photo © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.
sh*t
poor town!!!
Damien Hirst is the only person who could sell road-kill for money!
In the spirit of damien bold, confronting and controversial.
So great!!
what\’s a \”worst piece ever\” award!
please, designboom, do some selection before publish!
I appreciate Damien Hirst is a controversial artist, all the more reason for designboom to publish it!
Just because it isn’t to everyone’s taste, freedom of expression etc, surely that’s fundamentally what design is all about, wake up people….
Intense! Justice, Sacrifice, Amazon Woman, and Blessed Mother; all in one.
love the controversy – nice to see so many people reacting to a piece of sculpture that is actually rather traditional
Nothing wrong with pregnant naked exposed woman with a sword to boot standing her ground for truth. Bravo!
kudos…… most people just want comfortable art
art which is thought provoking
which causes people to think about things or their value system
is rarely shown
so I say, good for the individuals who had the courage to place this piece
thank you for showing it
new womenization extralarge and deconstructed
I cannot tell if I like it..
love the way that something which is actually a rather conventional piece of sculpture can still generate such controversy
You might not be so chipper if it was outside YOUR bedroom window.
Powerful. Powerful work. One can ponder what it makes you feel for a long time.
I\’m sad that people can\’t see the beauty in this piece of art, and it IS a breathtaking piece of art. The engineering ALONE makes it spectacular. This a tribute to women, and the people of Ilfracombe should be proud. \”Good art is art that allows you to enter it from a variety of angles and to emerge with a variety of views\” —Mary Schmich
It is spectacular and quite traditional on many levels! I wish it was in my town!
I like the fact it says the truth about pregnancy: a person, not a clump of cells as many say.
Get a life!
i think it s fantastic
Really Cool. Also, this magazine has a lot of angry readers – I think a sure cure for that is to get out of your mother’s basement and build something.
It\’s Damien Hirst\’s ugliest piece of work. Dreadful. What\’s original about this… maybe it\’s size???
Absolutely stunning piece of sculpture !
I would have thought more appropriate for a modern city rather than a seaside town !
I really hope people will push it into the water.
Don\’t personally like it, but Ilfracombe needs all the help it can get. Anything that helps tired old Biritsh seaside resort attract new tourist adn with it money can only be a good thing. Add this statue to Hirst\’s restaurant in the town already, No11 The Quay, and the 50 eco-homes he\’s planning to build in the town, this is very much becoming Hirst\’s town. Margate has Tracey Emin championing its cause so why shouldn\’t a ridiculously wealthy contemporary artist pick Ilfracombe to be his play thing.
so this is what you make when you have more money than God. did he buy the town as well…on the flip side,i work at a bronze foundry in america and we would love to take some of mr. hirst’s money. remind ‘s me of old judas priest album covers. rob halford is probably so flattered.
ILIKEITILIKEITILIKEIT
The more I look at it – the more I appreciate it. Wouldn\’t visit this town for any other reason but to see it.
Would be awesome if this installation could travel.
I think I like this one more than any of Damiens previous work.
It is pretty hardcore for the faint hearted – all of Damiens work is.
If it was outside my bedroom window and I had to look at it everyday… I might have to take a picture of it everyday.
Ew. Is this really what we are leaving behind for the future to remember us by?
what is she holding in her right arm? is she injecting hormones into her buttcheeks? That would add some ‘meaning’
http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2011/01/24/angel-of-the-north-turned-into-batman/
actually, I wouldn’t mind this outsdie my bedroom window one bit
so many small minded comments!
What a retarded mind in Art Vision,This man can not find any idea, _—- One of the worst sculptures in G:B: and rest of the world…Mickey Mouse is the top-Artfor you…
Most people haven\’t even looked up the background to this piece of art before fixing their shallow opinions. Its almost like the predictability of a tabloid press reaction.
Funny that she should appear to be marching on Ireland (across from Ilfracombe) with sword drawn and proud bosom in the wind…
On a technical note : is the arm completely made out of polymer resin ? Wouldn’t the body and the arm therefore age in very different ways ? Does resin even have a patina ?
Could anyone remedy to my ignorance ?
I like it!
loved it ,absolutely amazing. bit of a strange place to put it.
Just been to Ilfracomb and loved it. Looks amazing in that setting – awesome.