ONE of the world's most intriguing, infamous and controversial pieces of art is coming to Torquay this summer.

Having only previously been displayed in Venice, London, Tokyo and Oslo, Damien Hirst's Mother and Child, Divided, will be on show at the Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey in July and August.

The Turner Prize award-winner comes off the back of last year's successful Antony Gormley Field For The British Isles exhibition, which saw 38,000 visitors and an estimated £850,000 boost to the economy in terms of accommodation, food and drink and advertising revenues.

This exhibition, which it is hoped will add £1million to the Torbay economy, will also be free to visit.

Cllr Dave Butt at Torbay Council said the exhibition was likely to draw a reaction, as well as prove to be a massive draw in itself.

"It is a controversial piece of art which will stir debate and inspire visitors and communities," he said.

"I hope this will build on the success of last year's Gormley exhibition which helped generate hundreds of thousands of pounds of press coverage and investment from visitors, and inspired so many schools, attractions and individuals to get involved.

"Damien Hirst is such a well-known artist and this is a fantastic opportunity not just for Torre Abbey, but the whole of the Bay.

"It will help boost the council's long-term plan to be an exciting space for contemporary art and a leading light among seaside cultural hotspots."

The piece is being borrowed from Tate and the Arts Council's collection.

The work is a floor-based sculpture, weighing 6.5 tonnes, the weight of a London Routemaster bus.

It comprises a cow and a calf, each cut in half and preserved in a pair of glass-walled tanks in a formaldehyde solution.

Mother and Child, Divided, was created for exhibition at the 1993 Venice Biennale and was subsequently the focal point of the 1995 Turner Prize at Tate Britain the year Devon-based Damien Hirst won the prize.

A spokesman for Torbay Council said a technician for the artist visited the Bay on Thursday and 'loved the space' at the Spanish Barn.

"We have been working on this since the end of last summer, initially building up a dialogue with the Tate.

"We knew the piece we wanted to borrow, however we had no idea if this was even possible.

"Hirst was the name so many people talked about over the summer as a possible follow-up to the Gormley, so we gave it a go.

"We had numerous discussions with Momart who will install the piece.

"The Spanish Barn is not a 'standard gallery space' so there were issues we had to consider and work around.

"Eventually we got to the point where we could submit a formal application, and this was given a provisional yes by the Tate around Christmas.

"On Thursday we were visited by Adam Reynolds, technician at Hirst's company Science who came to look at the practicalities of bringing this work to the Spanish Barn.

"He loved the space, and the next day we were given approval."

Torbay Council has underwritten the project to £45,000 but is now looking for additional funding sources such as corporate sponsorship and grants.

Last year's exhibition was underwritten to the tune of £25,000 — but only cost £5,000.

The spokesman added: "We anticipate this summer will bring in around £1million of inward investment.

"Last year's exhibition was the first time we had hosted work of this level, and we are now in a much stronger position with a growing reputation which will bring with it more visits and opportunities."

It's anticipated the exhibition will open seven days a week, including some late evenings, from July 4 to August 30, but the date has yet to be finalised.

It is hoped Mr Hirst may attend at some stage.

Like the Gormley exhibition, the project will involve many community groups and a dedicated volunteer rota.

Anyone wanting to get involved should email: arts@torbay.gov.uk