Damien Hirst and Panerai at the Triennale Design Museum Milan

Damien Hirst is known to be a Panerai fan after creating three artworks in the past using Panerai watches: Skull with Watch, 2005; The Tranquility of Solitude (for George Dyer), 2006; and Killing Time, 2008. So it is no surprise to hear that the British artist has teamed up with the Italian watch brand again to create two artworks, made using the spin painting technique and more than 1,000 dials from Panerai watches: `Beautiful Sunflower Panerai Painting` and `Beautiful Fractional Sunflower Panerai Painting`.

`I love Panerai`, declared the British artist. `The watches are timeless and I made this spin painting using black Panerai watch faces without hands in the pattern of the seeds in the head of a sunflower – I hope the painting makes you think, we are here for a good time, not a long time.`

The two artworks are on display at the exhibition `O`Clock- time design, design time` at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan. The exhibition, which tries to explore the relations between time and design, is organised in partnership with the luxury watch brand Officine Panerai. Next to the works from 80 international artists, Patricia Urquiola, one of the curators of the exhibition, has created an installation called `The Worls of Panerai, which, using poetry and creativity, displays the characteristics of Panerai watches, highlighting their unique design through eight historic and contemporary models. Among the watches on display are three very special ones: two extremely rare historical models – a Radiomir from 1938, the year in which the watch was produced for the first time, and a Luminor from the 1940s; and the Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days, which has its world premiere at the exhibition.

The exhibition will run until the 8th of January 2012.

O`Clock
time design, design time
11 October 2011 – 8 January 2012
Triennale di Milano
Curated by Silvana Annicchiarico and Jan van Rossem

Triennale Design Museum
viale Alemagna 6
ph. +39 02 724341
www.triennaledesignmuseum.org