Relational Art. The Guardian. Rachel Howard and Damien Hirst

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/jul/17/rachel-howard-damien-hirsts-first-and-best-assistant-steps-out-of-the-shadows

Inevitably, Howard gets asked all the time about Hirst, who she met at Goldsmith’s College, in London, as they have played an important part in each other’s early careers. “We were mates and he needed someone to paint spots, and I was waitressing and I didn’t want a proper job – so I ended up working for him to earn enough money to make my own work,” she says. “It was a very good symbiotic relationship.”

Howard was there at the start – “I was the only assistant … there was only me. It wasn’t a factory then” – and is regarded by Hirst as the best painter of his trademark spot paintings. 

There are around 1,500 Hirst spot paintings, all signed by the artist, with the larger better ones attracting auction prices in excess of £1m. Yet hardly any were painted by Hirst. The better ones are likely to have been painted by Howard. “The best person who ever painted spots for me was Rachel,” he once said. “She’s brilliant. Absolutely fucking brilliant. The best spot painting you can have by me is one painted by her.”

This collaboration, where Howard painted the spots and yet Hirst owns the paintings, is pretty interesting. I like how Hirst acknowledges that Howard did paint his high priced spot paintings and gives due credit to her, saying that 'the best spot painting you can have by me is one painted by her'. 

When collaborating with other artist, it is important to acknowledge the efforts of all members present in the group and to not take credit for something that you did not actually do.