Damien Hirst, Saint Bartholomew - Exquisite Pain, 2006

Saint Bartholomew, Exquisite Pain depicts one of twelve apostles who were flayed alive as an early church martyr. Hirst’s vision for this piece derives from memories of seeing woodcuts and etchings of the saint at a young age. Commonly depicted in illustrations that show his body skinned with anatomical detail, Saint Bartholomew serves as patron saint of doctors and surgeons and has been used throughout history as an example to visually explain the structure of the human body. The figure is reinterpreted by Hirst, taking on a contemporary form and reminding us of the recently developed division between art, religion and science.