Hirst's work is a pile of rubbish

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A valuable work of art by Damien Hirst was thrown away because a cleaner mistook it for a load of rubbish. To be fair to the man who binned the art, detritus is exactly what it was: Hirst's creation comprised a pile of full ashtrays, beer bottles, cola tins, coffee cups, sweet wrappers and an easel.

Hirst claimed that the heap of rubbish represented his messy studio. The 35-year-old artist decided on a whim, as revealed in Londoner's Diary on Wednesday, to create an installation for display in the window of the Eyesto'rm gallery in Maddox Street, Mayfair. There has been speculation that Hirst might raise £5,000 if he offered the work for sale.

But only if the buyers view it with a more kindly eye than cleaner Emmanuel Asare, who only needed to look at it once to decide that it was the result of a raucous party. Mr Asare, 54, said: "As soon as I clapped eyes on it I sighed because there was so much mess. I didn't think for a second that it was a work of art - it didn't look much like art to me. So I cleared it all in bin bags and dumped it."

The powers that be at the fashionable gallery were devastated when they discovered what had happened. But, fortunately, someone thought to look in the dustbin. Staff rummaged in the bags and used photographs taken earlier to put the junk back together again.

When told of the value of the art, Mr Asare said: "It's worth £5,000? Oh my God. I'll make sure I'm more careful next time."

Hirst took the news in good humour. He said: "It's fantastic. Very funny." The gallery has decided not to discipline Mr Asare, who is paid £5 an hour. Instead a Keep Off sign has been placed by it.

In 1992 Hirst was paid £48,000 to create his famous 14-foot tiger shark floating in formaldehyde, which was subsequently short-listed for the Turner Prize. It catapulted him into the art world spotlight, where he has remained ever since.

He clinched the Turner Prize in 1995 for Mother and Child Divided - half a cow and half a calf in separate tanks of formaldehyde. Collectors such as Charles Saatchi have paid £1 million for a single piece.

 

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