Arton Contemporary presents a collection of Damien Hirst works that stand the test of time. Hirst explores both the physical and intangible aspects of life throughout his seemingly discontinuous subject matter of spots, skulls, and butterflies. Although unconventional, Hirst’s approach to representation and masterful use of color, texture, and repetition creates a clear narrative — the intricate beauty of death and the celebration of life.
Damien Hirst is a British contemporary master and entrepreneur recognized for his iconic artworks that have defined the contemporary art world for over 30 years. His varied practice, which includes installation, sculpture, painting, and drawing, explores the complex subjects of life, death, art, religion, and science. Hirst was born in Bristol in 1965 and grew up in Leeds, England. In 1984, he moved to London, where he worked in construction before enrolling at Goldsmiths University of London to study fine art. While at Goldsmiths, Hirst organized the independent student exhibition 'Freeze', which has become legendary as the originating moment of the Young British Artists (YBAs).
In 1991, Charles Saatchi, offering to fund Hirst’s artwork, mounted the first Young British Artists (YBA) exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London. Among the works exhibited was 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living' (1991), a shark submerged in a formaldehyde vitrine, which became an overnight global sensation.
The Freeze exhibition in 1988 first featured what would go on to become one of the defining subjects of Hirst’s career, the ‘Spots Paintings’. Hirst likened his approach to his ‘Spot Paintings’ as “similar to that of a drug companies’ scientific approach to life.” Seemingly child-like in their quality and meaning, the ‘Spots’ are spatially, schematically, and aesthetically formulaic. Each piece is a part of an endless series of colour and arrangement similar to pharmaceuticals. Colour is presented as having scientific authority and aesthetic purpose in all of Hirst’s pieces but specifically in the ‘Spots’ series.
In 2007 Hirst created what is arguably his most provocative work: ‘For the Love of God’, a life-sized platinum cast of a human skull, covered entirely by 8,601 VVS to flawless pavé set diamonds. The work operates as a traditional memento mori, an object to address the transience of human existence, in an unprecedented way. Contrasting the melancholy and tender lamination of dimly lit skulls in still-life scenes, ‘For the Love of God’ boldly confronts the viewer and puts us in our place with inexorable authority, representing a glorious intense victory over the temporal aspects of death. In 2007 the work was sold for over $100 million to an anonymous consortium and sparks controversy still today, signifying its significance in contemporary art history for generations to come.
‘All You Need is Love, Love, Love’ is one of the largest silkscreens with diamond dust created by Damien Hirst. This piece combines Hirst’s infamous iconography and subject matter in one composition. For Damien Hirst, butterflies symbolize death and resurrection because of their short yet beautiful lifespan. The British artist debuted this motif when he was 26 years old, with his ambitious installation “In and Out of Love” (1991). To showcase the insects’ short lifespan, Hirst invited viewers to watch butterflies emerge from their cocoons, fly around the gallery space, and die before the show’s end. In this installation and in ‘All You Need is Love, Love, Love’ Butterflies simultaneously represent the intangible beauty and delicacy of life.
The works in this exhibition truly stand the test of time and are iconic pieces hand signed by Damien Hirst, an artist whose name is known along with his predecessors Andy Warhol, Jean-Paul Basquiat, and Marcel Duchamp for changing contemporary art forever.
Arton contemporary is located on Madison Avenue in New York City and specializes in work by contemporary masters. With over 16 years of exceptional blue chip art acquisition, we have built an international reputation for advising, researching, sourcing, and consigning blue chip artworks for our incredible collectors.
