About the artwork
"The Empresses" by Damien Hirst is a series of prints, where red and black butterfly wings are arranged in patterns evoking a kaleidoscope. Each work is named after five influential female rulers of history, often forgotten in favor of their male counterparts: Wu Zetian, Theodora, Nūr Jahān, Suiko and Taytu Betul. Their characters and stories are sublimated by the series' dominant red, evoking life, war, power, anger, love, joy and luck. This version is that of Wu Zetian, who was the only woman to occupy the Chinese throne as a fully-fledged empress.
Expert opinion
The butterfly, a recurring motif in the British artist's work, takes on a new form in this new series, in which Damien Hirst pays tribute to those women who played a major role in history.
About the artist
Born in Bristol in 1965, Damien Hirst is one of the UK's most influential contemporary artists. He studied at Goldsmiths College in London, where in 1988 he organized Freeze, an emblematic exhibition that launched the Young British Artists movement. This initiative attracted the attention of influential collectors, including Charles Saatchi, and propelled Hirst onto the art scene. His artistic approach revolves around the themes of life, death and mortality, with works such as The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (a shark preserved in formaldehyde). His work often marries science and art, exploring the beauty and fragility of human existence through provocative materials and striking installations.Hirst has exhibited at prestigious institutions such as the Tate Modern (London) and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Naples). In 2008, he defied the art market by auctioning his work directly at Sotheby's, raising £111 million in two days, a record for a living artist.
Additional info
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