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Damien Hirst's 'dead butterflies' stirs anger

  • British artist Damien Hirst stands beside the 2006 piece "I Am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds", butterflies and household gloss on canvas, during a media preview of the first substantial survey show of his work in the UK at the Tate Modern gallery in London, Monday, April 2, 2012. The exhibition, timed for the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad and due to open to the public on Wednesday, showcases over 70 of Hirst's works since he first came to public attention in 1988. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
    1/32

    British artist Damien Hirst stands beside the 2006 piece "I Am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds", butterflies and household gloss on canvas, during a media preview of the first substantial survey show of his work in the UK at the Tate Modern gallery in London, Monday, April 2, 2012. The exhibition, timed for the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad and due to open to the public on Wednesday, showcases over 70 of Hirst's works since he first came to public attention in 1988. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

    British artist Damien Hirst stands beside the 2006 piece "I Am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds", butterflies and household gloss on canvas, during a media preview of the first substantial survey show of his work in the UK at the Tate Modern gallery in London, Monday, April 2, 2012. The exhibition, timed for the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad and due to open to the public on Wednesday, showcases over 70 of Hirst's works since he first came to public attention in 1988. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
  • Visitors walk behind a work by British artist Damien Hirst titled "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" at the Kunsthaus in Bregenz February 17, 2007.
    2/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Visitors walk behind a work by British artist Damien Hirst titled "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" at the Kunsthaus in Bregenz February 17, 2007.
    REUTERS/Miro Kuzmanovic
  • Damien Hirst's "Away From the Flock," a lamb preserved in formaldehyde in a steel and glass case, is seen on display at the new Saatchi Gallery in London, April 14, 2003.
    3/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Damien Hirst's "Away From the Flock," a lamb preserved in formaldehyde in a steel and glass case, is seen on display at the new Saatchi Gallery in London, April 14, 2003.
    REUTERS/Peter MacDiarmid
  • Visitors view "Mother and Child Divided," a bisected cow (in cases on L) and calf by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012.
    4/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Visitors view "Mother and Child Divided," a bisected cow (in cases on L) and calf by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012.
    REUTERS/Toby Melville
  • A man looks at a work by British artist Damien Hirst titled "In His Infinite Wisdom" which forms part of the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida exhibition at London's Tate Britain gallery, March 2, 2004.
    5/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A man looks at a work by British artist Damien Hirst titled "In His Infinite Wisdom" which forms part of the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida exhibition at London's Tate Britain gallery, March 2, 2004.
    REUTERS/Peter MacDiarmid
  • A visitor views "A Thousand Years," flies feeding off a cow's head by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012.
    6/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A visitor views "A Thousand Years," flies feeding off a cow's head by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012.
    REUTERS/Toby Melville
  • Visitors are reflected in "Lullaby, The Seasons" - a collection of pharmaceuticals by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012.
    7/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Visitors are reflected in "Lullaby, The Seasons" - a collection of pharmaceuticals by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012.
    REUTERS/Toby Melville
  • A visitor views a Spin Painting by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012. Hirst's retrospective show runs from April 4 to September 9.
    8/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A visitor views a Spin Painting by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012. Hirst's retrospective show runs from April 4 to September 9.
    REUTERS/Toby Melville
  • Visitors stand at a balcony behind the Damien Hirst sculpture "Hymn" outside the Tate Modern gallery in London August 21, 2012.
    9/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Visitors stand at a balcony behind the Damien Hirst sculpture "Hymn" outside the Tate Modern gallery in London August 21, 2012.
    REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
  • A woman looks at a painting by Damien Hirst at a preview for his exhibition "Damien Hirst: The Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011" at the Gagosian Gallery in central London, January 12, 2012.
    10/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A woman looks at a painting by Damien Hirst at a preview for his exhibition "Damien Hirst: The Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011" at the Gagosian Gallery in central London, January 12, 2012.
    REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
  • The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire view the sculpture Legend by Damien Hirst in the gardens of their home Chatsworth House in central England September 9, 2011.
    11/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire view the sculpture Legend by Damien Hirst in the gardens of their home Chatsworth House in central England September 9, 2011.
    REUTERS/Darren Staples
  • Women look at an exhibit by the artist Damien Hirst at the Frieze Art Fair in London October 14, 2010.
    12/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Women look at an exhibit by the artist Damien Hirst at the Frieze Art Fair in London October 14, 2010.
    REUTERS/Paul Hackett
  • British artist Damien Hirst attends a media preview of his exhibition "Forgotten Promises" in Hong Kong January 14, 2011.
    13/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    British artist Damien Hirst attends a media preview of his exhibition "Forgotten Promises" in Hong Kong January 14, 2011.
    REUTERS/Bobby Yip
  • A staff member of Seoul Auction poses in front of a Damien Hirst art-piece, "Tranquility," created with butterflies, during a press preview in Hong Kong May 13, 2009.
    14/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A staff member of Seoul Auction poses in front of a Damien Hirst art-piece, "Tranquility," created with butterflies, during a press preview in Hong Kong May 13, 2009.
    REUTERS/Aaron Tam
  • An art handler places drugs for the art installation 'In this terrible moment we are victims clinging helplessly to an environment that refuses to acknowledge the soul' by British artist Damien Hirst in the new Brandhorst modern art museum in Munich, May 6, 2009.
    15/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    An art handler places drugs for the art installation 'In this terrible moment we are victims clinging helplessly to an environment that refuses to acknowledge the soul' by British artist Damien Hirst in the new Brandhorst modern art museum in Munich, May 6, 2009.
    REUTERS/Alexandra Beier
  • British artist Damien Hirst stands next to one of his sculptures during a press preview of his exhibition at the Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev April 23, 2009.
    16/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    British artist Damien Hirst stands next to one of his sculptures during a press preview of his exhibition at the Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev April 23, 2009.
    REUTERS/Konstantin Chernichkin
  • People watch British artist Damien Hirst produce a piece of work in the Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev April 23, 2009.
    17/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    People watch British artist Damien Hirst produce a piece of work in the Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev April 23, 2009.
    REUTERS/Pinchuk Art Center/Handout
  • A visitor walks behind "Anatomy of an Angel" by Damien Hirst during a preview of an upcoming auction of his work "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" at Sotheby's in London September 8, 2008.
    18/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A visitor walks behind "Anatomy of an Angel" by Damien Hirst during a preview of an upcoming auction of his work "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" at Sotheby's in London September 8, 2008.
    REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett
  • Visitors walk through a gallery containing works by Damien Hirst, collectively entitled 'Beautiful Inside My Head Forever,' at Sotheby's in London on September 8, 2008.
    19/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Visitors walk through a gallery containing works by Damien Hirst, collectively entitled 'Beautiful Inside My Head Forever,' at Sotheby's in London on September 8, 2008.
    REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett
  • A member of the media looks at Damien Hirst's "Mother and Child Divided 1993" during a media preview of a retrospective of the Turner Prize at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo April 24, 2008.
    20/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A member of the media looks at Damien Hirst's "Mother and Child Divided 1993" during a media preview of a retrospective of the Turner Prize at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo April 24, 2008.
    REUTERS/Toru Hanai
  • Visitors view Damien Hirst's "All You Need Is Love" at Sotheby's auction house in central London December 5, 2007.
    21/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Visitors view Damien Hirst's "All You Need Is Love" at Sotheby's auction house in central London December 5, 2007.
    REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico
  • A visitor views 'Love's Paradox' - a cow in formaldehyde - at a new exhibition by British artist Damien Hirst in central London June 1, 2007.
    22/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A visitor views 'Love's Paradox' - a cow in formaldehyde - at a new exhibition by British artist Damien Hirst in central London June 1, 2007.
    REUTERS/Toby Melville
  • "For the love of God," a life size cast of a human skull in platinum by British artist Damien Hirst is seen in this handout image released in London June 1, 2007. The Skull is covered by 8,601 pave-set diamonds weighing 1,106.18 carats.
    23/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    "For the love of God," a life size cast of a human skull in platinum by British artist Damien Hirst is seen in this handout image released in London June 1, 2007. The Skull is covered by 8,601 pave-set diamonds weighing 1,106.18 carats.
    REUTERS/Prudence Cuming Associates/Handout
  • Women dressed as clowns look at work by British artist Damien Hirst titled "Iodomethane - 13C" at the Kunsthaus in Bregenz February 17, 2007.
    24/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Women dressed as clowns look at work by British artist Damien Hirst titled "Iodomethane - 13C" at the Kunsthaus in Bregenz February 17, 2007.
    REUTERS/Miro Kuzmanovic
  • A security guard at the San Carlos museum in Mexico City sits in her chair behind a piece by British artist Damien Hirst titled "Adam and Eve under the table" between two 16th century paintings October 6, 2006.
    25/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A security guard at the San Carlos museum in Mexico City sits in her chair behind a piece by British artist Damien Hirst titled "Adam and Eve under the table" between two 16th century paintings October 6, 2006.
    REUTERS/Andrew Winning
  • A bronze statue entitled 'The Virgin mother' by artist Damien Hirst is displayed in the courtyard of the Royal Academy of Arts in central London as part of its 238th Summer Exhibition June 7, 2006.
    26/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A bronze statue entitled 'The Virgin mother' by artist Damien Hirst is displayed in the courtyard of the Royal Academy of Arts in central London as part of its 238th Summer Exhibition June 7, 2006.
    REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico
  • A visitor to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City contemplate a piece by Damien Hirst titled "In the name of the father" consisting of sheep crucified and suspended in formaldehyde February 23, 2006.
    27/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A visitor to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City contemplate a piece by Damien Hirst titled "In the name of the father" consisting of sheep crucified and suspended in formaldehyde February 23, 2006.
    REUTERS/Andrew Winning
  • A visitor to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City takes a photo as she stands in front of a piece by Damien Hirst titled "Faithless" consisting of butterfly wings on canvas and household gloss February 23, 2006.
    28/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    A visitor to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City takes a photo as she stands in front of a piece by Damien Hirst titled "Faithless" consisting of butterfly wings on canvas and household gloss February 23, 2006.
    REUTERS/Andrew Winning
  • Visitors to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City contemplate a piece by British artist Damien Hirst titled "The wrath of God" consisting of a shark in formaldehyde February 23, 2006.
    29/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Visitors to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City contemplate a piece by British artist Damien Hirst titled "The wrath of God" consisting of a shark in formaldehyde February 23, 2006.
    REUTERS/Andrew Winning
  • Visitors to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City contemplate a piece by Damien Hirst titled "The Sacred Heart of Jesus" consisting of a bulls heart pierced with assorted surgical instruments suspended in formaldehyde February 23, 2006.
    30/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Visitors to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City contemplate a piece by Damien Hirst titled "The Sacred Heart of Jesus" consisting of a bulls heart pierced with assorted surgical instruments suspended in formaldehyde February 23, 2006.
    REUTERS/Andrew Winning
  • An auctioneer's assistant holds up the artwork 'Molecular Structure' by British artist Damien Hirst at Sotheby's in London, October 14, 2004.
    31/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    An auctioneer's assistant holds up the artwork 'Molecular Structure' by British artist Damien Hirst at Sotheby's in London, October 14, 2004.
    REUTERS/Stephen Hird
  • Artwork 'Full of Love' by Britain's Damien Hirst is seen at Sotheby's auctioneers in London, October 14, 2004.
    32/32

    The art of Damien Hirst

    Artwork 'Full of Love' by Britain's Damien Hirst is seen at Sotheby's auctioneers in London, October 14, 2004.
    REUTERS/Stephen Hird
British artist Damien Hirst stands beside the 2006 piece "I Am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds", butterflies and household gloss on canvas, during a media preview of the first substantial survey show of his work in the UK at the Tate Modern gallery in London, Monday, April 2, 2012. The exhibition, timed for the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad and due to open to the public on Wednesday, showcases over 70 of Hirst's works since he first came to public attention in 1988. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Visitors walk behind a work by British artist Damien Hirst titled "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" at the Kunsthaus in Bregenz February 17, 2007.
Damien Hirst's "Away From the Flock," a lamb preserved in formaldehyde in a steel and glass case, is seen on display at the new Saatchi Gallery in London, April 14, 2003.
Visitors view "Mother and Child Divided," a bisected cow (in cases on L) and calf by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012.
A man looks at a work by British artist Damien Hirst titled "In His Infinite Wisdom" which forms part of the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida exhibition at London's Tate Britain gallery, March 2, 2004.
A visitor views "A Thousand Years," flies feeding off a cow's head by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012.
Visitors are reflected in "Lullaby, The Seasons" - a collection of pharmaceuticals by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012.
A visitor views a Spin Painting by British artist Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012. Hirst's retrospective show runs from April 4 to September 9.
Visitors stand at a balcony behind the Damien Hirst sculpture "Hymn" outside the Tate Modern gallery in London August 21, 2012.
A woman looks at a painting by Damien Hirst at a preview for his exhibition "Damien Hirst: The Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011" at the Gagosian Gallery in central London, January 12, 2012.
The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire view the sculpture Legend by Damien Hirst in the gardens of their home Chatsworth House in central England September 9, 2011.
Women look at an exhibit by the artist Damien Hirst at the Frieze Art Fair in London October 14, 2010.
British artist Damien Hirst attends a media preview of his exhibition "Forgotten Promises" in Hong Kong January 14, 2011.
A staff member of Seoul Auction poses in front of a Damien Hirst art-piece, "Tranquility," created with butterflies, during a press preview in Hong Kong May 13, 2009.
An art handler places drugs for the art installation 'In this terrible moment we are victims clinging helplessly to an environment that refuses to acknowledge the soul' by British artist Damien Hirst in the new Brandhorst modern art museum in Munich, May 6, 2009.
British artist Damien Hirst stands next to one of his sculptures during a press preview of his exhibition at the Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev April 23, 2009.
People watch British artist Damien Hirst produce a piece of work in the Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev April 23, 2009.
A visitor walks behind "Anatomy of an Angel" by Damien Hirst during a preview of an upcoming auction of his work "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" at Sotheby's in London September 8, 2008.
Visitors walk through a gallery containing works by Damien Hirst, collectively entitled 'Beautiful Inside My Head Forever,' at Sotheby's in London on September 8, 2008.
A member of the media looks at Damien Hirst's "Mother and Child Divided 1993" during a media preview of a retrospective of the Turner Prize at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo April 24, 2008.
Visitors view Damien Hirst's "All You Need Is Love" at Sotheby's auction house in central London December 5, 2007.
A visitor views 'Love's Paradox' - a cow in formaldehyde - at a new exhibition by British artist Damien Hirst in central London June 1, 2007.
"For the love of God," a life size cast of a human skull in platinum by British artist Damien Hirst is seen in this handout image released in London June 1, 2007. The Skull is covered by 8,601 pave-set diamonds weighing 1,106.18 carats.
Women dressed as clowns look at work by British artist Damien Hirst titled "Iodomethane - 13C" at the Kunsthaus in Bregenz February 17, 2007.
A security guard at the San Carlos museum in Mexico City sits in her chair behind a piece by British artist Damien Hirst titled "Adam and Eve under the table" between two 16th century paintings October 6, 2006.
A bronze statue entitled 'The Virgin mother' by artist Damien Hirst is displayed in the courtyard of the Royal Academy of Arts in central London as part of its 238th Summer Exhibition June 7, 2006.
A visitor to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City contemplate a piece by Damien Hirst titled "In the name of the father" consisting of sheep crucified and suspended in formaldehyde February 23, 2006.
A visitor to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City takes a photo as she stands in front of a piece by Damien Hirst titled "Faithless" consisting of butterfly wings on canvas and household gloss February 23, 2006.
Visitors to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City contemplate a piece by British artist Damien Hirst titled "The wrath of God" consisting of a shark in formaldehyde February 23, 2006.
Visitors to the Hilario Galguera gallery in Mexico City contemplate a piece by Damien Hirst titled "The Sacred Heart of Jesus" consisting of a bulls heart pierced with assorted surgical instruments suspended in formaldehyde February 23, 2006.
An auctioneer's assistant holds up the artwork 'Molecular Structure' by British artist Damien Hirst at Sotheby's in London, October 14, 2004.
Artwork 'Full of Love' by Britain's Damien Hirst is seen at Sotheby's auctioneers in London, October 14, 2004.

First came the formaldehyde-soaked shark, then a severed cow's head, and now controversial British artist Damien Hirst is giving us... 9,000 dead butterflies? His recent exhibit at the Tate Modern, "In and Out of Love," consisted of two windowless rooms filled with live butterflies whizzing about, and was part of a larger retrospective that involved other winged insect-inspired creations. Many animal rights activists were angered when it was made public that the Tate show resulted in the total death toll of over 9,000 butterflies.