Japan’s Mad Cow Ban Nearly Ensnares Hirst Artwork

TOKYO—Japan’s import ban on British beef nearly prevented the transfer of a Damien Hirst work to a Tokyo museum, where it is part of a exhibition on the Turner Prize, Reuters reports.

In order to successfully bring the work into the country, the Mori Art Museum had to convince customs officers that Hirst’s 1995 Turner-winning Mother and Child, Divided, which comprises a cow and a calf, each sliced in half and floating in a sea of formaldehyde, is unlikely to tempt even the most daring gourmands. "I think my staff explained that it's not for eating," said museum director Fumio Nanjo.

Once successfully in Japan, the work caused further complications because of strict laws concerning formaldehyde. During transport, the carcasses were taken out of their original formaldehyde solution and were to be re-submerged in Japan. But health regulators fearful that the fumes would poison the museum staff requested that the museum install a special ventilation system at its premises. The museum has no choice but to comply, which will involve major construction, including drilling a new shaft through the ceiling in the Mori Tower.

"History in the Making: A Retrospective of the Turner Prize" runs at the Mori Art Museum from April 25 to July 13.