
Left, a cast brass head with red pigment, a Ife head of the Yoruba people, Nigeria dating from the 12-15th century. On the right a sculpture by Damien Hirst.

Damien Hirst's latest exhibition, "Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable," opens in Venice this week.

The exhibition comprises 189 sculptures in a variety of materials and sizes.

It occupies 5,000 square meters of space at the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana on the Grand Canal.

The exhibition's theme imagines that Hirst has discovered the wreck of an ancient vessel in the seabed off East Africa.

The ship was laden with treasures from Aztec, Inca, Ancient Egyptian, Roman cultures among others.

Sculptures were submerged for a month before being exhibited.

Critics have praised to exhibition as a return to form for the British artist.

Now 51, Hirst first came to prominence in the '90s as part of the Young British Artists scene.

In 2008, a Sotheby's auction of 223 Hirst works brought in $200.7 million.

"Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable" runs from April 9 to December 3, 2017.


