Damien Hirst gets his hands dirty at last

Damien Hirst (pictured left with the Hours frontman Antony Genn and YBA Sue Webster was at the Wallace Collection last night for the opening of his new exhibition No Love Lost. Among the guests were dealer Jay Jopling (pictured above right with Annabel Neilson, the ex-wife of Nat Rothschild), Jasper Conran, Patrick Cox and Saffron Aldridge.

Damien Hirst with the Hours frontman Anthony Genn, left, and YBa Sue Webster, right

Oasis frontman, Noel Gallagher, was forthright in his praise of Damien's new love of painting: "It's good to see him getting his hands dirty," he said, "instead of f***ing cutting up midgets and pickling them. It's fantastic."

There were more rules about champagne drinking than at a Tory party conference. Guests weren't allowed drinks near the Hirsts (which were protected by glass frames) but were allowed to imbibe alcohol in a room of priceless Rembrandts and Old Masters unprotected by glass.

"This is fantastic," joked Noel."It's just like our front room."