New Beginnings 6
New Beginnings 6
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
£6,500-£9,500Value Indicator
$14,000-$20,000 Value Indicator
$12,000-$17,000 Value Indicator
¥60,000-¥90,000 Value Indicator
€7,500-€11,000 Value Indicator
$60,000-$90,000 Value Indicator
¥1,220,000-¥1,790,000 Value Indicator
$8,500-$12,000 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: Block print
Edition size: 55
Year: 2011
Size: H 66cm x W 49cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2019 | Phillips London | United Kingdom |
Meaning & Analysis
This striking block print from 2011 titled New Beginnings 6 is one of six from Damien Hirst’s New Beginnings series. The print shows a large, icy blue butterfly with its wings outspread and set against a bright red backdrop.
Hirst’s New Beginnings series is reminiscent of his 1991 In And Out Of Love (Butterfly Paintings And Ashtrays) installation that fixed the bodies of dead butterflies into monochrome gloss paint, surrounded by overflowing ashtrays. The choice of household gloss was intended to ‘look like an accident of paint with butterflies stuck on it,’ according to the artist. This effect is reflected in New Beginnings 6 that contrasts the highly realistic image of the butterfly against the solid red backdrop.
Speaking to the artist’s preoccupation with the concept that art mirrors life, his use of the butterfly motif has remained prominent throughout his career. Not only is each butterfly born with a unique pattern that mimics the individuality that frames much of human life, but the butterfly for Hirst symbolises growth, change, life and death. The butterfly motif appears both in printed editions as well as in installations where visitors are situated in a room of live butterflies.
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.
