The Art Newspaper

The Guardian gives an intriguing insight today into the world of art fabricators, those pivotal "behind the scenes" people that help make key works according to the instructions of high-profile artists. Rachel Swainston, who made spot paintings for Damien Hirst in the mid 1990s, throws light on the methods behind the Brit artist's dotty canvases. "Painting spots was very dull... Damien didn't need to have much input. Most of the time, there were two of us, although it would depend on how quickly he wanted them churned out... lots of the Old Masters had people doing things for them. Damien created the idea; we just did the manufacturing." Paul Vanstone, a former stonecarver for Anish Kapoor, doesn't hold back, saying that "Kapoor's work is very boring to make because it's so methodical, so precise. " But Kerry Ryan, who creates neon signs for artists such as Tracey Emin and Anselm Kiefer, flies the flag for fabricators, pointing out that "art is all about the idea now: I think using fabricators makes art more valid and not less, from a conceptual point of view."

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