Damien Hirst

£2,150-£3,250 VALUE (EST.)

$4,150-$6,000 VALUE (EST.)

$3,600-$5,500 VALUE (EST.)

¥19,000-¥29,000 VALUE (EST.)

€2,500-€3,750 VALUE (EST.)

$21,000-$30,000 VALUE (EST.)

¥390,000-¥600,000 VALUE (EST.)

$2,650-$4,050 VALUE (EST.)

-5% AAGR (5YR)

This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.

Auction Date

Auction House

Artwork

Hammer Price

Return to Seller

Buyer Paid

July 2023

Leonard Joel, Melbourne - Australia

Spin Spin Sugar - Signed Print

March 2010

Sotheby's London - United Kingdom

Spin Spin Sugar - Signed Print

April 2008

Christie's London - United Kingdom

Spin Spin Sugar - Signed Print

Meaning & Analysis

Published as part of Damien Hirst’s second volume of In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things, Spin Spin Sugar is an etching from 2002. The etching shows concentric circles that appear to have been scratched onto the print’s surface, with some less controlled wiry lines overlain on top. Hirst’s signature, the print date and title can faintly be seen inscribed into the surface of the etching.

read more about In A Spin

The In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things portfolio is directly inspired by Hirst’s very famous spin paintings that he began producing in 1995. These works were created with a spin machine in the artist’s studio, onto which he attached a circular canvas that he then threw paint on. These etchings were created using the same spin machine, instead with copper plates attached and sharp tools to draw the concentric circles.

The second half of the series’ title, ‘The Action of the World on Things’ derives from a phrase the artist coined in 1999 when he was clarifying the origins of his spot paintings. He distinguished two aspects of his work: “an involvement with death and decay, and ideas and life: the action of the world on things exists somewhere, and the colour exists somewhere else. And it’s fantastic.” In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things is said to unite these two elements of Hirst’s work.