Hirst dithers over joining ‘pompous’ RA

Damien Hirst, the former enfant terrible of British art who is said to have amassed more than £100m from his sundry pickled animals and spin and spot paintings, is playing hard to get with the Royal Academy. They have asked him to join his fellow YBAs (young British artists) Tracey Emin and Gary Hume and become a Royal Academician (RA). Thus far, he has not responded to their entreaties.

Although it is considered one of the art world's highest honours - Constable, Turner and Gainsborough were all RAs - Hirst, who celebrates his 43rd birthday tomorrow, is said to be worried about attaching himself to the Royal Academy, which he once described as "a big, fat, stuffy old pompous institution".

Says The First Post's source. "He's a bit torn. On the one hand he wants to do it because it will be conquering yet another citadel of the establishment; on the other, he questions whether it actually means anything anymore. That it's all a bit naff."

One Academician who will be hoping he is swayed by the latter consideration is John Hoyland, who had just been made professor of painting at the Royal Academy School. He has said of Hirst: "He is becoming an entrepreneur and I don't think that's a good thing. I hear that he has lots of people working on his spin paintings. Artists should not farm their work out. I don't see how you can have humanity in your work if you do that."