Damien Hirst (1965) - Fruitfull (Small)

Iconic work by Damien Hirst
Created in collaboration with Fondazione Prada
Heni Edition: HB-2, Excellent condition

A hypnotically thick impasto, in deliciously garish hues, defines the limited edition silkscreen by Damien Hirst, “Fruitful (Small)” (H8-2, 2020), illustrating abstract details from his series of paintings “Cherry Blossoms” (2018-2020). Representing blossoming trees, the series draws inspiration from the work of Pierre Bonnard, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh and the pointillist innovations of Georges Seurat. At the boundary between abstraction and figuration, the Cherry Blossoms show Hirst blending elements of gestural painting in his thick brushstrokes with more traditional techniques.

In “Fruitful (Small)”, an abstract passage painted within one of Hirst’s imposing “Cherry Blossoms” canvases is magnified, the dynamic masses of white, pink and green zoomed for our microscope study. On a black background, the thick impasto is drawn through the frame and the extremely viscous material folds and curves as if alive, the colors meeting and overlapping. Humorous in its ability to fool any viewer eager to touch the gum-like brushstrokes, “Fruitful (Small)” invites close inspection of Hirst’s painting techniques as viewers immerse themselves in his wonderful world of color.

Produced in 2020 in partnership with Fondazione Prada in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to support schoolchildren in Italy, the fantastically tactile and vibrantly colored “Fruitful (Small)” recalls the joy and beauty that surround us.