Hirst admits to 'silly' artworks

Hirst hopes his work will still be known in 200 years

Artist Damien Hirst has said that he thinks that some of his creations have been "silly" and "embarrassing".

The 39-year-old, who is famous for preserving animals in formaldehyde, said: "Certainly everything you make is not a masterpiece."

Hirst added that his spin paintings and a pig cut in half which moves like a bacon slicer had been "a bit silly".

But the artist said he was optimistic that some of his work would still be on display in 200 years.

He added that if a piece of art was "crap", it would no longer exist.

'Important piece'

Hirst, who was speaking in New York at the opening of an exhibition of his latest work, stood by one of his most infamous creations, a preserved shark.

Hirst stands by his shark preserved in formaldehyde

"I think the shark's obviously an important piece. I think it just needs a bit of love and attention", he said, responding to claims that the artwork is deteriorating.

The work, which was made in 1991, was recently sold by art collector Charles Saatchi to an American buyer for $13 million (£7 million).

Hirst's latest collection, a series of oil paintings called The Elusive Truth, have courted controversy because they were produced largely by his assistants.

"I don't like the idea that it has to be done by the artist, I think it's quite an old fashioned thing," he said.