The weather in New York City this past weekend was mostly beautiful- the first such weekend in over a month- and us city dwellers flooded the parks for people-watching, picnics, and to tan our Vitamin D-deficient bodies.  While designer sunglasses and flip-flops were being flaunted a-plenty, their owners shamelessly laid upon stained sheets and amusement park water ride towels of their youth.

If the recession isn’t impacting your beachware budget and you can’t fathom a day without fine art in your life, perhaps this Alex Katz-designed, limited edition beach towel should be your next purchase.  Offered by Other Criteria, a company co-founded by Damien Hirst, this oversized towel is 100% cotton and ships from London.  Other artists who’ve taken the dip include Elizabeth Peyton, Kehinde Wiley and Jeff Koons.  Better act fast though, the Ed Ruscha and Julian Schnabel editions have already sold out.

The Washington Post reports that Victor Pinchuk, Ukraine’s wealthiest man and an avid art collector, has organized a large retrospective of Damien Hirst‘s work in Kiev.  The opening party brought the likes of Andreas Gursky and Jeff Koons, and over 10,000 people have already attended the exhibition in just its first three days.  The article, linked here, briefly discusses Ukraine’s current “hunger” for contemporary art.

I hear Kiev is the new Prague…

Above is Hirst’s The Kingdom that sold for over $17 million at his single-artist sale at Sotheby’s in the fall of 2008.  You have to wonder if any art handlers in the world are qualified to transport this bad boy.