Damien Hirst

DAMIEN HIRST (Bristol, UK, 1965).
"The Empresses. 2022.
Set of five works.
Giclée print laminated on aluminum composite, silkscreened with diamond dust glitter.
Signed and numbered.
With matching numbering.
Measurements: 100 x 100 cm each.

Complete set of "The Empresses", a series created by Damien Hirst in 2022 and composed of five works of intense visual impact. Each piece is based on the image of butterfly wings arranged in kaleidoscopic compositions on a dominant red background, generating hypnotic surfaces where symmetry, ornamentation, brightness and a strong symbolic charge are combined.

The series brings together some of the essential motifs of Hirst's universe: the butterfly as an emblem of beauty, fragility and transformation; repetition as a compositional system; and the use of materials of great visual presence, in this case enhanced by the application of diamond dust. The result are works of great chromatic and luminous intensity, conceived to produce an immediate, almost ceremonial, visual experience.

Each of the five pieces is dedicated to a female historical figure of power: Wu Zetian, Nūr Jahān, Theodora, Suiko and Taytu Betul. This reference to exceptional empresses and rulers broadens the reading of the series towards concepts such as authority, beauty, violence, desire, life, death and permanence. Red, the dominant color of the set, reinforces this ambivalence between vital energy, luxury, passion and power.

The fact that it is a complete set, signed, numbered and with matching numbering, especially increases its interest within the collecting of contemporary graphic works. In terms of scale, material presence and iconographic coherence, "The Empresses" is one of the most recognizable published series of Damien Hirst's recent production.

Damien Hirst is one of the central figures of contemporary British art and a leading member of the Young British Artists. He achieved international recognition by winning the Turner Prize in 1995 and consolidated his career with major exhibitions and the backing of influential galleries. Known for his conceptual ambition and his reflection on death, beauty, fame and the mechanisms of the art market, Hirst became a key figure in contemporary art. His work is represented in leading museums such as the MoMA in New York, the Tate in London and the Victoria & Albert Museum, among other international institutions.