Art for Kids: Hirst & Matisse

Over our holidays, I happened to catch an interview with Damien Hirst on Charlie Rose.  Hirst was promoting his series of Spot Painting installations happening at Gagosian galleries in 11 major cities across the globe.

While Mr. Hirst is a controversial artist, I think his spot paintings are a perfect way to introduce young children to contemporary art.

DAMIEN  HIRST
Cupric Nitrate, 2007
Household gloss on canvas

And while my 3 year old may not ensure all spots are equilateral in distance, she knows how to draw a circle, and how to colour within the lines, so spending some of our (many hours a day of) art time working on something like this could be incredibly fun, and perhaps we'll have a gallery showing of our own (...in the playroom...it's super exclusive!)

Or you can make like Jordan and develop some grown-up spot paintings to adorn your walls,  for, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars less than buying a new Hirst.

(photo by: Oh Happy Day! )

Of course, if Mr. Hirst is not your thing, there are still other great artists whose works translate well with children.  What about Monsieur Henri Matisse?  Any toddler can pay homage to Monsieur Matisse with some kiddie scissors, coloured cardboard and a glue stick (and then eat brie avec baguette for lunch, with une petite tasse de grape juice).

I remember seeing a Matisse exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery when I was just a tyke.  At the end they had an excellent art area where you could attempt to make your own Matisse-inspired creation. What fun!  I love kid-friendly museums and galleries!




Henri Matisse
The Snail, 1953
gouache on paper

(I mean, look at that!  Totally kid do-able!)

Are there other artists, classical or contemporary, that you think translate well into kid art?