Notes

'The Empresses’ marks a new iteration in Damien Hirst’s exploration of the butterfly as a symbol for freedom, religion, life and death. A series of five laminated giclée prints on aluminium composite, screen printed with glitter, each print depicts images of red and black butterfly wings, arranged into a unique kaleidoscope-like pattern. The carefully positioned wings appear mobile and their patterns transform, each print seeming to capture the butterflies in moments of variously directional flight.'¹

^1. Heni Editions (no date) Damien Hirst Wu Zetian, online, https://heni.com/editions/artwork/H10-1, accessed 24 September 2024.

Damien Hirst was born in 1965 in Bristol, England, and raised in Leeds. He is a prominent contemporary artist known for his provocative works that challenge the boundaries of art and life. He studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths College in London from 1986 to 1989 and became a leading figure in the Young British Artists movement. Hirst gained fame in the 1990s with his striking pieces, such as The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991), featuring a preserved shark in formaldehyde.

Hirst is also known for his Spot Paintings, a series of colourful, abstract works characterised by rows of vibrant, uniform dots, and his Butterfly Paintings, which incorporate real butterflies. His art explores themes of mortality, beauty, and the commodification of art, utilising diverse mediums like painting, sculpture, and installation. Hirst’s works, which have sparked debate and admiration alike, are in major collections such as the British Museum in London, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Provenance

Heni Editions, Germany.

Private Collection