From September 11th 2013 until January 5th 2014, the National Portrait Gallery in London will be featuring an exhibition surrounding the work of artist Jonathan Yeo. And it is the central image of this exhibition, a portrait by Yeo of contemporary artist Damien Hirst in a gas mask, that has garnered all the initial hype.
The chemical suit and gas mask worn by Hirst, the former hell-raising leader of the Young British Artists and now sober millionaire, is an undeniable reference to Hirst’s formaldehyde works, where he uses the chemical to pickle and preserve objects, like a shark for instance.