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!

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