On the eve of his blockbuster London show, Damien Hirst has hit back at the critic who deemed his work "worthless" and urged collectors not to sell up, adding in unashamedly capitalist terms that art is the "greatest currency in the world". Hirst, whose wealth has been estimated at more than £200m, said he was pleased to have "made lots of money", adding: "I'm not afraid of that."

The largest retrospective of Hirst's work in Britain opens tomorrow at the Tate Modern and includes some of his most famous – and notorious – pieces from the shark in formaldehyde and a range of spot paintings to the £50m skull covered in diamonds.

While the Tate dubbed him "one of the most significant artists of our time," his output came under attack last week from curator and writer Julian Spalding who called Hirst's creations "worthless as works of art". Spalding also urged collectors to sell any pieces they owned before their value collapsed.

Hirst hit back at his critics yesterday, saying Spalding's comments in particular were "more about selling his book than anything else," adding that his works could gain in value. "They say: 'Sell your Hirsts.' I say: 'Don't sell your Hirsts. Hang on to them'. They're not that high," the artist said.
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