Diamonds and butterflies. Life and death.

This year, I've seen some very impressive art exhibitions. Saturday's was no exception. It was the first Damian Hirst retrospective in London and spanned most of his career and most famous work.

It began with his early spot paintings and the shark, cows, sheep and dove in formaldehyde (which I saw over ten years ago when I first came to London) and then the installation of maggots becoming flies and buzzing around the dead cow's head.

We went into the butterfly room after that. We were only allowed to stay in the humidity controlled room for two minutes but it was very special, albeit sad. The chrysalis were pinned to walls and the butterflies hatched and landed on plants and fruit around the room before dying in there.

Here's an article about the experience from The Guardian by an author and self-confessed butterfly geek that I heard speaking at Latitude Festival in June last year.

There was a pharmacy with all the tablets to keep you alive but won't stop you from dying anyway, and the 100s of handmade of coloured sleeping pills displayed in cases colour-coded by season called 'Lullaby'.

And the butterfly paintings (made from real butterflies!) which looked fantastic. Especially the one that looked like church stain glass windows.

And finally the world famous diamond studded skull (worth about £10 million) which is hard not to be impressed by despite all the criticism it, and he, receives.

There were quite a few other pieces but these were the most memorable for sure.