Is art ready for artistic equivalent of legal franchises

The irrepressible British artist Damien Hirst has come clean on two issues that should benefit the art world: the exact number of “dot” paintings ascribed to him, and the fact that he personally made only the first 25. He is on record in a soon-to-be-published catalogue that there are precisely 1,365 dot paintings, which will apparently discourage forgers and help protect their value in the market.

The wild speculation about their total number is not surprising as Hirst has been “painting” them for nearly three decades. The Indian equivalent would be MF Husain’s horses and Jamini Roy’s sloeeyed figures, whose authentication has long been a problem. Hirst’s bold confirmation that assistants have put together a majority of his dot paintings and his confidence that the revelation will not affect their prices — which continue to be high despite critiques — should come as a fillip to owners of “common” Husains and Roys.

If the art world accepts Hirst’s novel twist to the criteria of authentication, it would open up the market for many more “originals” of works that become so popular that artistes cannot keep up with demand. It could spur the establishment of the artistic equivalent of legal franchises — with the usual guarantees such as certificates and, perhaps, even limited editions — and make art more accessible.