Xylene Cyanol Dye Solution
Xylene Cyanol Dye Solution
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
£10,500-£16,000Value Indicator
$22,000-$35,000 Value Indicator
$19,000-$30,000 Value Indicator
¥100,000-¥150,000 Value Indicator
€12,500-€19,000 Value Indicator
$110,000-$160,000 Value Indicator
¥2,040,000-¥3,110,000 Value Indicator
$13,500-$21,000 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Aquatint
Edition size: 65
Year: 2005
Size: H 97cm x W 73cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2022 | Bonhams New Bond Street | United Kingdom | |||
| February 2020 | Wilson55 | United Kingdom | |||
| October 2019 | Tate Ward Auctions | United Kingdom | |||
| December 2018 | Sotheby's New York | United States | |||
| December 2017 | Christie's New York | United States | |||
| January 2017 | Phillips London | United Kingdom | |||
| October 2015 | Christie's New York | United States |
Meaning & Analysis
Xylene Cyanol Dye Solution is a signed etching by Damien Hirst from 2005. The print shows a grid of many spots, methodically arranged and each the same size and shape. Every spot etching depicts a unique combination of colours, with every spot on the print a different colour and evoking a sense of joy.
The spot paintings and prints are some of Hirst’s most widely recognised works and recur thematically throughout his career. First emerging as a concept in 1986, the spot paintings were then displayed in the 1988 Freeze group show in London’s Dockland’s, and have spanned Hirst’s oeuvre into the 2010s. The spot paintings are crisp and formulaic in form and composition, combining the absurdity of Dadaism with a gentle mockery of the processes of pointillist painting.
The cold repetition and sterile aesthetic of Xylene Cyanol Dye Solution is reminiscent of Hirst’s early pill cabinet works such as The Void from 2000. Both works evoke a sense of endless sameness and directly allude to the realms of medicine and science. Indeed, the chemical name of each print in this series evokes a nondescript powder or pill that is abstract in its scientific mode.
Damien Hirst, born in Bristol in 1965, is often hailed the enfant terrible of the contemporary art world. His provocative works challenge conventions and his conceptual brilliance spans installations, paintings, and sculptures, often exploring themes of mortality and the human experience. As a leading figure of the Young British Artists (YBA) movement in the late '80s, Hirst's work has dominated the British art scene for decades and has become renowned for being laced with controversy, thus shaping the dialogue of modern art.
