Damien Hirst

VICTIM, London
Sale: Sotheby's, London, Contemporary Art, 30 June 2011, Lot 236
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. The catalogue illustration fails to fully convey the golden sheen of the paint, the iridescent quality of the cubic zirconia stones and the rich feathery texture of the butterfly wings evident in the original. 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."

Dynamic yet restrained, Damien Hirst’s Beautiful Magnificent Everyone Loves a Good Romance Painting is a mesmerising amalgamation of two of his most distinctive artistic innovations. Hirst began incorporating butterflies into his work shortly after he graduated from Goldsmiths in 1989, first using them in his now legendary installation In and Out of Love in 1991. Since then they have evolved into a reoccurring motif in his oeuvre; the ultimate symbol of fragility and the ephemeral, they have become associated with the artist’s on-going fascination with processes of death and decay. As Tate Britain curator Andrew Wilson commented, “The butterfly’s life-cycle is one of regeneration and transformation, and in Hirst’s hands this symbol of love becomes a powerful means by which the certainty of death can be apprehended” (Andrew Wilson, ‘Believer’, in: Damien Hirst, London 2012, p. 203).

It was shortly after the introduction of butterflies into his work that Hirst made his first spin painting. Almost child-like in their spontaneity and energy the process of their production is nonetheless mechanical, creating a curious paradox which Hirst happily acknowledges, “[The Spin Paintings] are a miracle of technology... I tell you what it is, I really like making them. And I really like the machine, and I really like the movement. The movement sort of implies life” (The artist quoted in: Gordon Burn and Damien Hirst, On the Way to Work, London 2001, p. 221).

The addition of the cubic zirconia that is interspersed across the composition adds another layer of meaning; they mimic diamonds, assimilating the same associations and raising questions about value and beauty. Hirst has long been fascinated by their darker side, noting that they “bring out the best and the worst in people people kill for diamonds, they kill each other” (The artist quoted in Hans Ulrich Obrist, ‘Epiphany: A Conversation with Damien Hirst’ in: Exhibition Catalogue, New York, End of an Era, 2012, u.p.). In the present work Hirst’s fusion of these elements transforms the inherent liveliness of the spin painting form into a beguiling meditation on the transitory nature of life.