Damien Hirst's 'dead butterflies' stirs anger
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British artist Damien Hirst stands beside the 2006 piece "I Am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds", butterflies and household gloss on canvas, during a media preview of the first substantial survey show of his work in the UK at the Tate Modern gallery in London, Monday, April 2, 2012. The exhibition, timed for the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad and due to open to the public on Wednesday, showcases over 70 of Hirst's works since he first came to public attention in 1988. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
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First came the formaldehyde-soaked shark, then a severed cow's head, and now controversial British artist Damien Hirst is giving us... 9,000 dead butterflies? His recent exhibit at the Tate Modern, "In and Out of Love," consisted of two windowless rooms filled with live butterflies whizzing about, and was part of a larger retrospective that involved other winged insect-inspired creations. Many animal rights activists were angered when it was made public that the Tate show resulted in the total death toll of over 9,000 butterflies.