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10 Facts About Damien Hirst's Fruitful And Forever

Isabella de Souza
written by Isabella de Souza,
Last updated8 Dec 2023
An image of the artist Damien Hirst, bent over a couch where two smaller versions of his works are perched. Behind him, two large-scale versions of Fruitful and Forever are visible.Image © Instagram @damienhirst / The Artist Damien Hirst with his works from the series Fruitful And Forever
Jasper Tordoff

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While few names evoke as much debate, admiration and controversy as Damien Hirst, it is undeniable that the artist is a master at marketing himself and his artworks. When he is not creating formaldehyde-soaked animals or intricate diamond-encrusted skulls, Hirst’s oeuvre also known for repurposing previous creations or -- as was the case in some of the works from Where The Land Meets The Sea -- transforming the creative process into an artwork itself. Since bursting onto the London art scene in the late 1980s as a leading figure of the Young British Artists movement, Hirst has reinvented himself and his works, as is the case with his series Fruitful And Forever.

1.

Hirst’s Fruitful And Forever prints depict magnified details from his popular cherry blossom paintings

This print depicts a close-up image of a canvas covered in thick layers of paint. The colourful dabs of paint make up a small section of a larger canvas which invites the viewer to ponder what lies beyond the frame of the composition. H8-2 Fruitful © Damien Hirst 2020

The prints show close up details of the densely layered and colourful dabs of paint from sections of the large-scale canvases from his series The Virtues. By magnifying a work that has become ubiquitous with his career, Hirst provides a new interpretation and point of view to the works.

2.

Hirst executed the works as an effort to raise money for charity

An image of the artist Damien Hirst yawning, while the large size of one of his works from the Fruitful And Forever series lies on his stomach.Image © Instagram @damienhirst / The artist Damien Hirst and his work H8-1 Fruitful 2020

The series was made by Hirst, working alongside Fondazione Prada, to support Save the Children Italy. The entirety of the profits from this series were donated to their campaign “Riscriviamo il Futuro”, which was launched to support Italian children from disadvantaged backgrounds who were affected by the school closures during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hirst stated they eventually raised €3.3 million for the campaign through the profits of Fruitful And Forever.

3.

The series consists of two designs, each done in a small or a large size

The print depicts a small section of a canvas. The impressive close-up image demands the viewer appreciates the layers of white, green and pink paint that the artist used in his Cherry Blossom paintings.H8-4 Forever © Damien Hirst 2020

The signed prints are done with laminated giclée print on aluminium composite panel. The smaller edition is 39cm by 39cm, while the larger edition is 78cm by 78cm.

4.

Fruitful And Forever was available on HENI for less than two weeks

An image of the artist Damien Hirst lying alongside his works from the series Fruitful And Forever. He is shown wearing a paint-splattered outfit.Image © Instagram @damienhirst / Damien Hirst alongside his Fruitful And Forever and The Virtues series 2020

Launched on September 15th 2020, Fruitful And Forever was only available on the primary market until midnight on September 27th of the same year. As with many of Hirst's editions, the print run size is determined by the amount of interest generated during this short window of time.

5.

The series was very popular, despite the short time it was available for

An image of the artist Damien Hirst, lying down and looking up at the viewer, holding one of his prints from the Fruitful And Forever series.Image © Fondazione Prada / Damien Hirst holding up H8-3 Forever

According to Hirst himself, over the course of those days they "sold 2,908 Fruitful small, 1,528 Fruitful large, 2,173 Forever small and 1,049 Forever large." This was helped by the reasonably affordable price Hirst set for these works.

6.

For his Cherry Blossom series, Hirst sought inspiration in the history of art

Here, Hirst renders a cherry blossom tree in various shades of pink against a light blue backdrop. The vibrant, pastel colours evoke the season of Spring, bringing a cheerful and upbeat tone to the print. The cherry blossom tree is depicted with a combination of thick brushstrokes, intricate spots and delicate gestural lines.H9-4 Politeness © Damien Hirst 2021

Hirst's iconic Cherry Blossoms were inspired by the works of Pierre Bonnard, the ephemerality of Claude Monet, the vivid colours of Vincent Van Gogh and the pointillist innovations of Georges Seurat.

Fruitful And Forever represents an abstraction of this tradition, further cementing Hirst's place as an artist who is capable of constant reinvention.

7.

Hirst was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 lockdowns.

An image of the artist Damien Hirst, holding his work H8-1 Fruitful. In the background, his Cherry Blossom paintings can be seen.Image © Instagram @damienhirst / Damien Hirst holding H8-1 Fruitful 2020

He stated: "The pandemic has given me a lot more time to live with the paintings, and look at them, and make absolutely certain that everything’s finished." This closer attention to detail is eagerly manifested in this series, where the viewer is encouraged to pay attention to the tactile nature of Hirst's cherry blossom paintings.

8.

He purposefully chose bright and joyful colours for the works

An image of the artist Damien Hirst holding up one of his works from the Fruitful And Forever series.Image © Instagram @damienhirst / Damien Hirst holding up H8-4 Forever 2020

At a time of many were struggling with isolation and anxiety, Hirst purposefully chose to highlight a spring-hued palette in this series. On his Instagram, he described the works' colour as "hopeful".

9.

This was not Hirst's first foray into creating artworks for charity that year

A rainbow against a white background, with colourful butterfly wings in each shade finishing the composition.H7-2 Butterfly Rainbow © Damien Hirst 2020

That same year, Hirst created his Rainbow editions, which borrowed from the UK-wide motif of the rainbow as a symbol of hope and support for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic. For one week, the public could purchase one of two editions: a Butterfly Rainbow in support of the British NHS Charities Together or a Butterfly Heart to donate to The Felix Project -- a London charity fighting hunger on a national level.

10.

Years later, Hirst would return to themes of abstraction and pointilism

A series of hot pink dots splattered against a grey background. H13-3 Kynance Cove © Damien Hirst 2023

In 2023, also borrowing from the creative process of his Cherry Blossom works, Hirst created a new series titled Where The Land Meets The Sea, in collaboration with HENI editions and auction house Phillips. In those canvases, Hirst utilisted the cast-off paint of the Cherry Blossoms to create abstract pointillist pieces.

Jasper Tordoff

Jasper Tordoff, Specialist[email protected]

Interested in buying or selling
Damien Hirst?

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Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst

656 works

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