Damien Hirst
Unique Spin Drawing, 2001
Pen, Ink
71.9 x 59.7 cm
Signed and Numbered by the Artist
Copyright The Artist
Unique Spin drawing 2001, pen and ink on paper, signed by the artist, framed dimensions are: 28. 3 x 23.5 in. / 72 x 60 cm. (Sheet: 16 3/8 x...
Unique Spin drawing 2001, pen and ink on paper, signed by the artist, framed dimensions are: 28. 3 x 23.5 in. / 72 x 60 cm. (Sheet: 16 3/8 x 11.5 in. / 41.5 39.2 cm)
“The movement sort of implies life.”
- Damien Hirst
This work is a Unique Spin drawing by Damien Hirst from 2001. The work is created in the artist's signature style, celebrating his iconic Spin series. This is an opportunity to acquire a piece from Frank Duhphy's (Hirst's legendary manager) art collection.
ABOUT THE SPIN SERIES:
The spin paintings are characterised by the works’ elongated titles, which begin with ‘Beautiful’ and end in ‘painting’, and their bright colors. The series began in earnest in 1994, when Hirst had a spin machine made whilst living in Berlin. A series of his machine-made spin drawings were subsequently exhibited at Bruno Brunnet Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin, later that year. The exhibition ‘making beautiful drawings: an installation’, invited visitors to the gallery to make their own free drawings on a spin drawing machine made from a drill. The first Berlin-made spin painting exhibited was ‘Beautiful, pop, spinning ice creamy, whirling expanding painting’ (1995), at the Waddington Gallery, London, in 1995.
The works are described by the artist as “childish … in the positive sense of the word”. Whilst the chance spontaneity of the spin paintings stands in stark contrast to the formulaic spot series, both explore the idea of an imaginary mechanical painter. The results of the spins are controlled purely by the artist’s colour choices and the motion of the machine. Hirst explains the simplicity of their appeal: “I really like making them. And I really like the machine, and I really like the movement. Every time they’re finished, I’m desperate to do another one.”[2]
In 1996, the exhibition ‘No Sense of Absolute Corruption’ (Gagosian Gallery, New York) included spin paintings which rotated mechanically on the wall – Hirst’s response to being repeatedly asked which way up they should be installed. The rotating spins also provided a solution to Hirst’s feeling that the implied movement is essential to the success of the works, noting: “The moment they stop, they start to rot and stink.”
“The movement sort of implies life.”
- Damien Hirst
This work is a Unique Spin drawing by Damien Hirst from 2001. The work is created in the artist's signature style, celebrating his iconic Spin series. This is an opportunity to acquire a piece from Frank Duhphy's (Hirst's legendary manager) art collection.
ABOUT THE SPIN SERIES:
The spin paintings are characterised by the works’ elongated titles, which begin with ‘Beautiful’ and end in ‘painting’, and their bright colors. The series began in earnest in 1994, when Hirst had a spin machine made whilst living in Berlin. A series of his machine-made spin drawings were subsequently exhibited at Bruno Brunnet Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin, later that year. The exhibition ‘making beautiful drawings: an installation’, invited visitors to the gallery to make their own free drawings on a spin drawing machine made from a drill. The first Berlin-made spin painting exhibited was ‘Beautiful, pop, spinning ice creamy, whirling expanding painting’ (1995), at the Waddington Gallery, London, in 1995.
The works are described by the artist as “childish … in the positive sense of the word”. Whilst the chance spontaneity of the spin paintings stands in stark contrast to the formulaic spot series, both explore the idea of an imaginary mechanical painter. The results of the spins are controlled purely by the artist’s colour choices and the motion of the machine. Hirst explains the simplicity of their appeal: “I really like making them. And I really like the machine, and I really like the movement. Every time they’re finished, I’m desperate to do another one.”[2]
In 1996, the exhibition ‘No Sense of Absolute Corruption’ (Gagosian Gallery, New York) included spin paintings which rotated mechanically on the wall – Hirst’s response to being repeatedly asked which way up they should be installed. The rotating spins also provided a solution to Hirst’s feeling that the implied movement is essential to the success of the works, noting: “The moment they stop, they start to rot and stink.”