Photo by Billie Scheepers, © Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst poses at the Wallace Collection exhibition of his new paintings.

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Hirst says he was inspired to show at the Wallace Collection, which houses a sizable collection of 18th- and 19th-century art, furniture, and armor, after a visit there with his children. The artist went on to say that it has been “great” seeing how his work stands up alongside the Old Master works in the collection, which include examples by Velázquez, Poussin, and Titian, though he admits, "I'm glad they haven't got a whole room of Rembrandts. When there's one, you can just about get away with it."

Well, maybe not. Unfortunately, many British critics seem to disagree with Hirst's assessment, savaging his new work in their reviews. The Guardian’s Adrian Searle called the show “deadly dull” and declared, “These doomy, gloomy paintings look positively amateurish.” Rachel Campbell-Johnston agreed in the London Times, beginning her review with four simple words: “These paintings are dreadful.”

The paintings, which Hirst has focused on for the past three years, feature many of his trademark subjects, including sharks, skulls, and cigarettes, against dark, moody backgrounds that suggest Francis Bacon, one of his idols. The exhibition runs through Jan. 24, 2010.

Read more at the London Evening Standard, the Guardian, and the London Times.