‘Verity’ by Damien Hirst

A 66 foot stainless steel and bronze sculpture named Verity, created by world famous artist Damien Hirst, stands on the pier at the entrance to the harbour looking out over the Bristol Channel towards South Wales. It has been loaned to the town for 20 years. The name of the piece refers to “truth” and Hirst describes his work as a “modern allegory of truth and justice”.

On Tuesday 16 October 2012, Verity was hoisted into position giving residents and visitors their first glimpses of her standing tall on Ilfracombe’s Pier.

The statue depicts a pregnant woman holding aloft a sword while carrying the scales of justice and standing on a pile of law books. Half of the sculpture shows the internal anatomy of the pregnant woman, with the foetus clearly visible.  The stance has been described as a reference to Little Dancer of Fourteen Years by EdgarDegas, a work that previously inspired Hirst when he created Virgin Morther.