Damien Hirst, leading figure of the Young British Artists (YBA) in the 1990s, is now internationally known as a contemporary artist. His work revolves around the themes of science, death, and religion, blending mysticism, morbidity and bright colors. The skull subject is a favorite of his, a subject he depicts in ironic, humorous variations. These ten multicoloured and silver-encrusted skulls presented at our Editions sale on Wednesday 26 June 2019 were each produced in 50 copies; it is thus a unique opportunity to see them gathered into a single complete portfolio.
Lot 167 - Damien Hirst (born in 1965)
Till Death Do Us Part - The complete suit of 10 screeprint - 2012
10 screeprint in colors with Foil Block on Somerset Satin paper, each print signed and numbered 32/50
52 x 37 cm full page - All framed
Result : 52 000 €
The use of silkscreen printing is intimately linked here to the theme of vanities evoked by Hirst; the serial technique echoes the transient nature of existence. The artist refers unambiguously to the memento mori represented in ancient, medieval and baroque art, a subject that has gone through centuries and genres. The repetition of a same macabre imagery alludes in particular to Andy Warhol’s ‘Skull’ series, and places death in the same mundane sphere as Campbell soup cans. The title used, "Till Death Do Us Part", evokes more the love of a newlyweds couple than the inevitability of death in the collective imagination. Here, Hirst reverses this perception to create irony through contrast. The bright silver-embellished colours of this smiling skull contradict its macabre appearance. This reciprocity of death and beauty is dear to Damien Hirst, as evidenced by his Kaleidoscopes, where thousands of dead butterflies are arranged to form multicoloured rosettes.
"I have an obsession with death," says the artist. "But I think it's a celebration of life rather than something morbid. "It is this duality that is represented in the portfolio that will be presented by PIASA; the terms chosen to describe the colours used in each version accentuate this contrast: "Heaven Lemon Yellow Pigment Pink Chilli Red Pop Skull", "Time Bright Orange African Gold Emerald Green Pop Up Skull", "Heavenly Peppermint Green Silver Gloss Racing Green Skull"... Hirst associates death with a joyful pop-art aesthetic, and gives it a kind of banality through repetition. This denatured relationship can be found in his sculptures of dead animals cut out of formaldehyde, his skulls set with diamonds, and his shelves of medicines: death, at the bottom, is a macabre joke. This very rare portfolio perfectly illustrates Damien Hirst's mischievous and punk rock spirit, whose provocative artworks achieve a resounding success with the public.
