Artist: 'Hirst could shoot himself'

A rival artist has suggested that Damien Hirst could shoot himself to increase the value of work.

Eugenio Merino told The Guardian that the Britart icon could commit suicide as his next piece.

The Spaniard has created his own work entitled 4 the Love of Go(l)d, which features a model of Hirst shooting himself in the head.

Merino, who is a fan of the controversial artist, said: "I thought that, given that he thinks so much about money, his next work could be that he shot himself.

"Like that the value of his work would increase dramatically. Obviously, though, he would not be around to enjoy it."

He added that his piece is a joke and a paradox, which also offers a metaphor for the state of the art world.

The rest of his show at the ARCO art fair in Madrid is made up of parodies of Hirst's pieces.

Hirst's For The Love Of God is a diamond-encrusted platinum-cast human skull priced at £50 million, which popstar George Michael was once reportedly interested in buying.