Beautiful Mickey

Beautiful Mickey is a signed screen print in colours produced by renowned contemporary artist, Damien Hirst. Made in 2012, Hirst renders a sketch of Mickey Mouse, standing upright facing the right of the composition. Mickey is drawn over a bright and vibrant multi-coloured backdrop creating a striking and visually impressive print.

The print is part of the Mickey Mouse series, a collection of prints, all inspired by the famous American cartoon series created by Walt Disney in 1928. In 2012, Hirst was personally invited by Disney to produce an artwork inspired by Mickey Mouse. This particular work was auctioned at Christie’s, London in 2014 in aid of the charity, Kids Company. The piece raised almost one million pounds. Hirst continued making prints inspired by the iconic cartoon character, however this print stands out from others in the series, due to its unique use of colour and circular canvas.

Hirst was drawn to the way in which Mickey Mouse has become a central part of society’s collective cultural consciousness. He explains, “the thing about Mickey is that even though he’s gone through so many shifts in form and association, he’s timeless… he means the same in the 21st century as he did decades ago.”