Damien Hirst, Houghton Hall: Colour Space

Stately home Houghton Hall is a rococo haven exhibiting paintings by the likes of Rembrandt and Velázquez. Now its grand rooms will be taken over by the master of contemporary art: Damien Hirst.

This exhibition shows Hirst in a new context as his striking contemporary work is placed inside the Palladian palace originally built by Britain’s first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole.

The exhibition displays a new series of Hirst’s paintings, Colour Space, for the first time. These are a development of the much-in-demand Spot Paintings Hirst developed in the 80s and 90s. Colour Space presents a more organic, less precise, version of the dots in the original series.

Also drawing the crowds are some of the artist’s most celebrated sculptures, installed around the 18^th century house and its garden. The 33-foot statue Virgin Mother (2005 –2006) displaying a pregnant woman anatomically, both glorifying and humanizing the female figure, stands tall in the grounds. It's really quite the spectacle. But so are the herds of white deer that inhabit the expanse of parkland

The exhibition coincides with the publication of Colour Space, the first volume of a landmark series of books called Damien Hirst: The Complete Works. Each book will explore a specific practice of the artist in great detail.

It's time to book your tickets to Norfolk: this once-in-a-lifetime showing of Hirst’s work is worth the trek, and a great excuse to see Houghton Hall in all its glory.