Among artists working today, Damien Hirst stands out for the success with which he has capitalised on his persona. Hirst's bombastic, confrontational style appears as tactical as it is aesthetic, and his subject matter, artistic materials, and high-profile exhibitions are inextricably linked to his lairy persona and unashamed use of advertising PR. But, beneath this controversial and self-conscious public persona, Hirst has, in plain sight, occupied and explored other, far more subtle roles-most notably, as a pharmacist-that have garnered little critical attention. In this co-written article, the authors argue that in order to appreciate the significance of Hirst's identification with the figure of the pharmacist in his two self-portraits Contemplating
Rawlinson et al. (Mon,) studied this question.