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Today is the day; Gagosian Gallery walls burst with Hirst in New York, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, Geneva, Athens, and Hong Kong.

Beclometasona, 2008 by Damien Hirst gagosiangallery.com

The Complete Spot Paintings exhibit, opening at all Gagosian Galleries today, offers Hirst-o-files and jet setters alike The Complete Spot Painting Challenge where dedicated dot hunters can visit each of the eleven galleries and receive a signed spot print by British artist Damien Hirst.

The Complete Spot Challenge gagosiangallery.com

Spot seekers may supplement the hunt by referencing Gagosian Gallery’s free iPad app which provides an overview of exhibitions and projects at Gagosian Gallery and includes a Damien Hirst “art board” for exploring over ninety spot paintings.

DL-P-Chlorophenylalanine Methyl Ester, 1998 by Damien Hirst gagosiangallery.com

A body of work spanning 25 years, Mr. Hirst’s spot paintings are controversial for a variety of reasons, one of which is, according to the New York Times, “Of the hundreds of spot canvases, Mr. Hirst painted only five himself”.

"Controlled Substance Key Painting," by the British artist Damien Hirst, dates from 1994, an earlier "spot painting" period.

Will this global exhibit be as “fantastically boring” as Richard Dorment, art critic for The Daily Telegraph in London, called the spot paintings? When asked about the premise of the Gagosian shows, he replied: “The accumulation of scores of them in one place like the Tate’s Turbine Hall could make a visual impact, but I can’t see the point of filling all of Gagosian’s galleries around the world. What purpose will it serve?”

Prochlorperazine, 2009 by Damien Hirst gagosiangallery.com

After today, the world (aka the critics) will decide. Meanwhile, let’s go and see for ourselves!

Related articles

• Damien Hirst’s spots: a rough guide to the pricing (telegraph.co.uk)
• Art World Star Doesn’t Change His Spots – New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Will Damien Hirst Dot the Art Market to Death? (bigthink.com)
• Spots (fashioncopious.typepad.com)

photo: Goeril Saetre for The New York Times

I came across this house recently in The New York Times.

photo: Goeril Saetre for The New York Times

Not surprisingly, the carefully furnished (aka, sparse interior) caught my eye. I couldn’t help but wonder: is there any artwork on the walls?

photo: Goeril Saetre for The New York Times

With each photo, the notion became less and less likely. Granted, in a house that doesn’t have running water, I’m not entirely surprised.

photo: Goeril Saetre for The New York Times

Clearly, there is an intention of simplicity in this home. Yet for conversation’s sake, my question to you is: If this was your house, would you hang art? If not, so be it. But if so, what kind of art and where?

photo: Goeril Saetre for The New York Times

Or, is the view of the dense forest outside the windows framed by the clean lines of the house, art in itself?

photo: Goeril Saetre for The New York Times

I must admit, I’d love to spend a weekend away in a place like this. Would you?

Related articles

• What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success (theatlantic.com)
• Cozy Living: Finnish Birch Tree Cabin (apartmenttherapy.com)
• Finnish Spitz Dogs (dogster.com)

image: pastemagazine.com

As December comes to a close, we’d like to wrap up with a look at what got people talking on WallSpin this year. Here’s a round-up of our most popular posts from 2011:

from 'Upset in San Francisco' post on WallSpin – Artist Tom Otterness Photo: Gawker.com

Upset in San Francisco – October 20, 2011
Gawker dropped a bomb on legions of animal lovers in San Francisco earlier this month. New York based artist Tom Otterness, who was contracted by the city to create a series of statues for a local subway station, is known to have…

from 'Sleeping With Art' post on WallSpin – Square Ring by B Perrino www.bperrino.com

Sleeping With Art – September 22, 2011
Barbara Perrino is an accomplished New York artist, versatile in many mediums. After spending years as a fine art photographer she turned to quilts. There’s no fuss, frill, or flower here. These are not your Grandma’s quilts…

from 'Journey to the East' post on WallSpin – Hiroshige "Swallows and Peach Blossoms Under a Full Moon" princeton.edu

Journey to the East – March 29, 2011
The minimalism and elegance of traditional Japanese brush work and woodblock printing has made its way into the work of Western artists of the past and present…

from 'Is It Done Yet?' post on WallSpin – "Untitled" by Fernando Velez Castro on Zatista.com

Is it Done Yet? – March 17, 2011
When I watch my wife, who is a painter, or any of our artist friends work on a piece, I’m always intrigued by how they know the work is done…

from 'In the Studio' post on WallSpin – Frida Kahlo – nytimes.com

In The Studio – Creating Community – March 15, 2011
We live in a time of reality TV and tell-all books, and I think involving artists and non-artists in the creative process sparks that natural curiosity we all have about other people’s lives…

Related articles

• HBR’s Most Popular Blog Posts of 2011 (blogs.hbr.org)
• Best of 2011: Pop Culture’s Tastiest Bits (wired.com)
• ‘Conan’: Best of 2011 (huffingtonpost.com)
• The 10 Best Art Exhibitions of 2011 (complex.com)

Here are some items I came across this weekend. Some are gifts, some are not. Either way, I thought I’d share them with you. Let us know what cool things you’ve found this holiday season, here on WallSpin.

1. Gift for the kids – What’s not to love about this modern doll house?

Brinca Dada Dylan Doll House from brincadada.com

2. Gift for the photo lover – Customize your own View Master:

Custom Viewfinder from image3d.com

3. Gift or brilliant idea for the cocktail party – A great way to keep track of your glass:

Chalkboard Wine Glass from chalkboardchina.com

4. Recipe for the holiday menu – This is a proven crowd pleaser:

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle from foodnetwork.com

5. Gift for the art lover, yourself or otherwise – There’s nothing better than the real deal from Zatista.com:

Looking South by Jan Ter Weele from Zatista.com

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Related articles

• It’s About Time (zatista.com)
• Wood Works (zatista.com)
• Intimate Interiors (zatista.com)

Have you heard of Scotland’s phantom sculptor?

Tree in the library photo: Chris Scott/flickr

Egg in the library photo: Chris Scott/flickr

Coffin in the library photo: Chris Scott/flickr

Tea cup in the library photo: Chris Scott/flickr

The phantom returns photo: Chris Scott/flickr

Then the sculptures started popping up again, this time with an explanatory note.

Explanatory note photo: Chris Scott/flickr

Since I never want to be the spoiler of a good mystery, feel free to spend a few minutes reading up on this creative whodunit (links below). You won’t be sorry. In fact, you may be inspired this holiday season to give the gift of original art! Trust us, art is the gift that does not disappoint.

Related articles

• Who Left A Tree, Then A Coffin In The Library? (npr.org)
• The Library Phantom Returns! (npr.org)
• Mysterious paper sculptures – Central Station Blog post (community.thisiscentralstation.com)
• Mystery sculptures appear at Edinburgh book festival (guardian.co.uk)