Reviews the work of Damien Hirst (b. Bristol 1965) presented in a retrospective exhibition spanning twenty years at Tate Modern, April to September 2012. It explores the development of his art from the controversial animal vitrines and beautiful butterfly composites to an extensive series of spot paintings, where the artist engaged in a complex invigilation of coded systems that govern daily existence. It encounters a rarely exhibited work One Thousand Years 1991, Pharmacy and For The Love of God, the celebrated diamond studded skull.

James Cahill combines writing, research and painting with a role at one of London's leading contemporary art galleries. He studied at the Courtauld Institute, where his research focused on British twentieth-century artists' explorations of crucifixion and obscenity. Marina Vaizey is an art critic, lecturer and traveller; her books include The Artist as Photographer, 100 Masterpieces of Art; Great Women Collectors. She was the art critic for the Financial Times for four years, and The Sunday Times for eighteen. She has curated several exhibitions and written many catalogues. She has been a Trustee for several national museums. Nicholas James studied painting with Frank Auerbach at the Slade School of Art. He is the publisher and series editor of Cv Publications.