Damien Hirst

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner in 1993

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate although the overall tonality is much richer and more vibrant in the original. Condition: Both works are in very good condition. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light. Left canvas: There is a small and stable vertical tension crack in the lime green area of pigment just above the centre of the right edge. There are a few further stable hairline tension cracks to the lowers section of the left extreme edge. There are five tiny specks of media accretion adhering to the surface towards the centre left of the composition that would appear to be original to the work's execution, visible in the catalogue illustration. Right canvas: There is a fine and stable tension crack in the lime green area of paint in the top left hand corner. There are further vertical tension cracks to the pale yellow pigment along the right edge in the top right hand quadrant and towards the centre of the left edge with a speck of associated paint loss. There is a tiny speck of media accretion adhering to the surface of the apple green pigment towards the centre of the composition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Damien Hirst's obsession and play with colour is made manifest in these two early canvases. He stated: "I believe all painting and art should be uplifting for the viewer...I love colour. I feel it inside me. It gives me a buzz." (Damien Hirst, I want to Spend the Rest of my Life Everywhere, with Everyone, One to One, Forever, Now, London 1997, p. 246). Executed in 1993, these two rare examples from his Visual Candy series precede his infamous Spin paintings which thus act as a continuum for his explorations and amalgamations of colour. The Visual Candy series echoes the vision of the Cobra artists from the late 1940s who sought to communicate the deepest of human expression and emotion through painterly means. Their investigations into the human psyche, and into ways of capturing emotions, artistically draw comparisons with Hirst's focus on the link between art and psychological mood. In this example the artist focuses on the viewer achieving pure unadulterated joy. Hirst has said "art is like medicine - it can heal. Yet I've always been amazed at how many believe in medicine but don't believe in art, without questioning either." (Damien Hirst in Ibid, p.246). Using an areal view of a cluster of pills as a basis for his composition, Hirst concentrates the image to a point of near abstraction, thus encouraging a purely basic human reaction to the kaleidoscopic medley.  The title for these two vibrant works Happy Happy supports this belief that sheer pleasure is achievable though a pure embrace of colour.  There is, however, an underlined theme of the relationship between medicine and human dependency and the strong pull that these colourful little pills have on us aesthetically and in the same instance physically, affecting our state of mind and body.