Name: You Threw A Melon At My Head
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 4.9 (224 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Damien Hirst’s You Threw A Melon At My Head, a signed Etching from 2002, is estimated to be worth between £3,000 and £4,500. This artwork has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 45%. This is a rare work with an auction history of two sales since its entry to the market in July 2008. The hammer price over the past five years has ranged from £1,233 to £2,786. The edition size of this piece is limited to 68.

Auction Date

Auction House

Artwork

Hammer Price

Return to Seller

Buyer Paid

May 2020

Forum Auctions London - United Kingdom

You Threw A Melon At My Head - Signed Print

July 2008

Christie's New York - United States

You Threw A Melon At My Head - Signed Print

Meaning & Analysis

You Threw A Melon At My Head is one of 23 etchings that make up the first volume of Damien Hirst’s In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things from 2002. The print shows a set of concentric circles, depicted in crayon-like lines made up of red and yellow. The title, Hirst’s signature and the date of the print are inscribed onto the etching above and below the concentric circles.

Abstraction has been a key part of Hirst’s oeuvre since the mid-1990s. This series of prints is related to Hirst’s spin paintings that have become an iconic set of abstract works. These paintings were created with a rotating canvas attached to a spin machine, onto which he poured paint. You Threw A Melon At My Head is produced with copper plates attached to the spin machine, with the concentric circular lines drawn with needles, screwdrivers, and other sharp tools as they spun.

It is only in the later stages of Hirst’s career that he has become interested in prints and editions. His first print portfolio was produced in 1999 and was a set of screen prints that depicted medicine bottle labels. Since his first print portfolio, Hirst has ventured into the technique of etching like the prints in the In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things Vol. I and II.