Damien Hirst Empresses: Theodora Red Butterfly Limited Edition Giclee 2022

Artist: Damien Hirst
Title: Empresses: Theodora
Medium: Limited Edition Giclee
Size: 39.38" x 39.38"
Edition: X/3315
Years: 2022
Condition: Very good quality overall, request a full condition report for details
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

Damien Hirst's Empresses: Theodora is a limited edition artwork that showcases the artist's unique style and conceptual approach. Inspired by a series of portraits of the Byzantine Empress Theodora, known for her influential role in the 6th century. Hirst's interpretation of Theodora is presented in a bold and striking manner, with vibrant colors and intricate details. The artwork explores themes of power, femininity, and historical significance, inviting viewers to contemplate the complexities of female leadership and the impact of historical figures. With his characteristic blend of artistry and conceptual depth, Hirst's Empresses: Theodora offers a thought-provoking exploration of history and its relevance in contemporary society.

Made up of repeating butterfly motifs, for which Damien Hirst is famous, rendered in black and red, "Damien Hirst's Empresses: Theodora" was created in 2022. The piece measures 39.38" x 39.38" and is signed in pencil on the front. It includes a gallery certificate of authenticity from Modern Artifact.

About Damien Hirst

As one of the best-known living artists in the world, Damien Hirst is renowned for his ability to push the boundaries of contemporary art. His controversial art has both been banned and set multiple records at auction. Much of Hirst’s art centers on the theme of death, and some of his most shocking art work involves full size animals, sometimes intact and sometimes dissected, suspended in formaldehyde. Although his large-scale art installations have garnered the most recognition, Hirst is a master of many mediums.

Born in 1965, Damien Hirst rose to popularity in the 1990s as a member of the Young British Artists (YBAs). In addition to art that pushed the boundaries of the conventional art world, Hirst also rose to fame in by unconventional means. Denied representation by the gallery of his choice, Hirst along with some of his friends assembled several warehouses shows in the early 1990s. At the second show that year, Hirst debuted the first of his animal pieces, A Thousand Years, featuring a rotting cow’s head complete with maggots and flies. Iraqi Businessman Charles Saatchi was so impressed that he offered to fund any art Hirst wished to create. He went on to create a suspended Tiger Shark in The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living; a large-scale human anatomy study in Hymm; a rotting cow and bull banned by New York Health officials for fear it would induce vomiting in the crowd in Two Fucking and Two Watching; a diamond covered human skull in For the Love of God; and, more recently, 14 statues of a fetus growing inside the womb outside a hospital in Qatar titled The Miraculous Journey. Hirst continued to buck the traditional artist gallery system throughout his career, including selling an entire show, Beautiful Inside my Head directly at Sotheby’s auction.

Although art critics remain divided on much on Hirst’s most controversial work, that has not stopped the artist from achieving widespread acclaim. The appeal of his art is not restricted to wealthy collectors paying high premiums for his work at auction. His artwork was featured at the 2012 London Olympic Games closing ceremony, is featured on two Mickey Mouse themed Swatch watches, and hangs in the home of Kiley Jenner. Damien Hirst has transformed the art market and the definition of art itself. Instead of succeeding despite the controversy surrounding him, Hirst has succeeded because of it.