Damien Hirst

Butterfly Spin Painting, 2009 acrylic paint on paper painting by Damien Hirst

2009

Damien Hirst (1965) Butterfly Spin Painting (2009) acrylic and metallic paint on paper 21 h × 27 w in (53 × 69 cm) Signed and stamped with Damien Hirst's studio's blindstamp; stamped with the artist's signature and copyright, dated 2009 on the reverse. Executed in 2009, this work was made on the occasion of Damien Hirst's exhibition, Requiem, held at the Pinchuk Art Centre, Kiev in April 2009. 

PROVENANCE

Private Collection Japan 

New Art Auction, Tokyo, Japan 

Acquired from the above

This work belongs to Damien Hirst’s celebrated Butterfly Spin Paintings, created during his exhibition Requiem in Kiev in 2009. In these works, Hirst revisits the butterfly — one of his most enduring emblems — through the lens of his spin technique, merging symbolism with performative process.

For Hirst, the butterfly embodies the paradox of life’s brevity and beauty. Its association with metamorphosis, resurrection, and the soul resonates with the artist’s broader engagement with themes of mortality and faith. Here, however, the butterfly form is generated by centrifugal sweeps of color, as paint is propelled across the surface in vibrant arcs. This interplay of mechanical chance and precise design underscores Hirst’s fascination with systems that balance control and accident.

The resulting image is both radiant and ephemeral: a kaleidoscopic burst of pigment contained within the delicate outline of wings. In contrast to Hirst’s earlier use of real butterflies, the spin-painted form heightens the sense of transformation, as if the creature has been reborn through pure energy and color. The work ultimately reflects Hirst’s ongoing exploration of how art can reconcile the beauty of existence with the inevitability of its impermanence.