Damien Hirst

White Cube, London
Sale: Phillips de Pury & Company, New York, Contemporary Art Part I, May 12, 2011, Lot 42
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

This work is in very good condition. Upon very close inspection there are some very faint spots of light ochre discoloration to a few of the white wings, all of which are inherent to the artist's choice of medium. There are a few signs of lifting to the two larger white butterfly wings running, 35cm above the lower left corner. There is a tiny orange butterfly loss, resting along the centre of the bottom frame. There is some evidence of very light wear to the lower right corner of the artist's frame and two rub marks, one 60cm from above the lower right corner and a further 45cm below the upper right corner. The colours in the catalogue illustration are accurate, with the background of the composition tending towards a glossy bubble gum pink.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"I like the idea of a thing to describe a feeling. I like ideas of trying to understand the world by taking things out of the world. You kill things to look at them...I hope at first glance it will look alive. It could have to do with the obsession with trying to make the dead live or the living live forever." - Damien Hirst quoted in: Robert Violette, ed., I want to spend the rest of my life everywhere, with everyone, one to one, always, forever, now, London, 1997, p. 7

An elegantly constructed vortex of vivid colour and pattern, Tranquillity is an exquisite example of Damien Hirst’s Kaleidoscope paintings. Recalling the intricate forms and hues of traditional stained glass windows in their delicate placement of myriad butterfly wings, the first Kaleidoscope work was created in 2001, inspired by the decoration on a Victorian tea tray. Within Tranquillity, a vast array of brilliantly coloured butterfly wings have been placed against a base of household paint, forming a variegated mosaic in which the extraordinary beauty of the species is accentuated by Hirst’s highly accomplished decorative arrangement. Towards the outer edge of the composition, delicate tones of celestial blue prevail, contrasting with the vibrant yellows and blues of the inner circles creating successive auroras of shimmering iridescence.

Butterflies were one of the earliest sources of inspiration for Hirst, and have appeared frequently within his work throughout his career to date. In an interview with Mirta D’Argenzio, he recalled breeding them in his shared bedroom: “I divided half of my bedroom up… I made a huge box in my bedroom. It took up half the bedroom… I found out where you could find the pupae and all that kind of stuff and I got them all… I remember it because it was so cramped” (Damien Hirst in conversation with Mirta D’Argenzio in: Exh. Cat., Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Damien Hirst, The Agony and the Ecstasy, Selected Works from 1989-2004, 2004, p. 78). One of his earliest exhibitions, In & Out of Love, held in a former travel agent’s office in 1991, featured a combination of ‘traditional’ butterfly paintings (adult specimens on canvas) contrasted with pupae stuck on white canvas; bowls of sugar water placed near the ‘pupae’ canvases allowed the butterflies to feed and mate.  The subsequent hatching and metamorphosis effectively served as a miniature illustration of the complete cycle of life and death: a theme of endless fascination for Hirst. The remarkable ability of a butterfly to still appear beautiful, even in death, was another source of artistic appeal: “Then you get the beauty of the butterfly… The death of an insect that still has this really optimistic beauty of a wonderful thing. I remember thinking about that”(Damien Hirst quoted in: ibid. p. 83).

Aside from the cosmetic connection to church windows, there is a strong spiritual dimension inherent within Tranquillity and other works within the ‘Kaleidoscope’ series due to the presence of butterflies, which, in Hirst’s highly developed artistic lexicon, have come to signify the soul itself. Despite Hirst’s appropriation of the motif, the association of the butterfly with religion and spirituality is a venerable one: the Ancient Greeks employed an identical word for ‘butterfly’ and ‘soul,’ whilst in Christian tradition the rebirth of a butterfly from its cocoon symbolises the miracle of the resurrection. The message is further reinforced within the present work through the circular mandala shape formed by the layers of butterflies, which appear to radiate outwards from the central loci of a luminous blue butterfly at the heart of the composition.

Despite the complexity of the work, Tranquillity is imbued with a strong sensation of calm and repose: the title appears particularly apposite when the idea of spiritual journey is taken into account, offering the comforting possibility of ultimate resolution and safety. The result is a work that invites mediation and contemplation, encouraging the viewer to focus on the extraordinary - yet fragile - beauty of the natural world. In a recent interview Hirst discussed the redemptive powers of art and his belief that art should be an affirmative force: “Art’s got to be positive, even if it’s about negative things… I think you can always apply art to life in a positive way” (ibid., p. 97). Ultimately, Tranquillity perfectly encapsulates these aspirational principles through its visually stunning utilisation of iridescent butterfly wings, eloquently capturing and celebrating a fleeting moment of beauty for eternity.