From NME:
The BRIT Award statue designed by British artist Damien Hirst has been revealed for the first time today (January 10). Hirst is the third iconic British artist to be let loose on the BRIT statue, following fashion designer Vivienne Westwood in 2011 and Sergeant Pepper artist Peter Blake last year. Hirst has adorned the statue with his trademark spot painting aesthetic. You can see a larger image of the statue below. Speaking about his role with the BRITs, Hirst said: “I am honoured to be asked to design this year’s statue, it has become such an iconic award, I love the BRITs.”
Meanwhile, BRITs Chairman David Joseph added: “Damien is truly one of the most important British artists and his reimagining of the statue will make winning a 2013 BRIT an even more special proposition.” A recent retrospective of Hirst’s work at London’s Tate Modern attracted 463,000 visitors.
The nominations launch for The Brits will take place today (January 10) at The Savoy in London, and will be hosted by BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Nick Grimshaw. Highlights from the nominations launch will be hosted on the official Brits YouTube channel directly after the event. Critics Choice prizewinner Tom Odell will perform live, as will Jessie Ware.
The 2012 BRIT Awards saw Adele and Ed Sheeran pick up multiple awards and Blur perform live as well as accept the lifetime achievement prize. This year’s BRIT Awards take place on February 20th, 2013 and will again be hosted by James Corden.