Damien Hirst

Sale: Kiev, Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation, ANTIAIDS Charity Auction, 3 October 2010 (donated by the artist)
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"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."

The utterly ingenious application of exotic butterflies to the painted surface is one of Damien Hirst’s earliest and most defining artistic innovations, initiated shortly after he graduated from Goldsmiths in 1989. In Love is distinguished as a butterfly work in several ways, first by virtue of its unusual heart-shaped canvas and evocatively romantic title. Stunningly colouristic, its jewel tones of turquoise blue shine against the sunny yellow background, just as its myriad cubic zirconia highlight the sculptural relief of the butterflies and compliment their shimmering textures. A work of exceptional narrative coherence, In Love is full of light and brightness. In this sense, its composition aptly harnesses the innately appealing quality that first inspired Hirst to employ butterflies as a medium. He has said: “I think rather than be personal you have to find universal triggers: everyone’s frightened of glass, everyone’s frightened of sharks, everyone loves butterflies” (Damien Hirst, I Want to Spend the Rest of My Life Everywhere, with Everyone, One to One, Always, Forever, Now, London 2005, p. 132).
 
For centuries prior to Hirst’s creations, artists strove to replicate the mesmerising patterning of  flora and fauna, whose intricacies were thought to reveal God’s masterful craftsmanship of nature. In a decidedly contemporary gesture, Hirst obfuscated the mimetic divide between life and art, interweaving each in their primal forms to produce a minimalist monochrome surface studded with marvellously opalescent butterflies. Themes of religion, nature, and art history therefore all entwine in this powerful formal arrangement, and unsurprisingly the butterfly paintings constitute a highly rich trope from which Hirst brings forth unique and studied variations. An undeniable masterpiece of the motif, In Love represents one of the most formally and narratively alluring examples ever to issue from the artist’s studio.