Name: The Souls IV (prairie copper, topaz, cool gold)
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 4.9 (226 reviews)

Track auction value trend

Damien Hirst's The Souls IV (prairie copper, topaz, cool gold) (signed), created in 2010, is a rare foil block artwork with an estimated value between £8,000 and £12,000. This work has an auction history of one sale in July 2012. There have been no sales in the last 12 months. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 15.

Auction Date

Auction House

Artwork

Hammer Price

Return to Seller

Buyer Paid

July 2012

Smith & Singer, Woollahra - Australia

The Souls IV (prairie copper, topaz, cool gold) - Signed Print

Meaning & Analysis

As part of an extensive collection of prints by Damien Hirst called The Souls series from 2010, The Souls IV (prairie copper, topaz, cool gold) is a print that shows a red and blue butterfly with its wings outspread. Every print in the series is set against a white backdrop, with the butterflies created using a metallic foil block printing technique to produce a shimmering effect that reflects the way their wings reflect the light.

Across the entire of The Souls series there are four species of butterflies depicted in each print, within which are 80 colour variations, each presented as an edition of 15. The abundance of butterflies across the series reflects the various insects found in a meadow, each one unique. Hirst explains, “I love butterflies because when they are dead they look alive. The foil block gives them a feel similar to the actual butterflies in the way that they reflect the light. After ‘The Dead’ I had to do the butterflies because you can’t have one without the other.”

The Souls series is representative of Hirst’s fascination with the symbolism of the butterfly motif, creating a vast series that is reminiscent of the Pop art of Andy Warhol. The sheer scale on which Hirst works is crucial to this series that brings together themes around morality, life, love, faith and aesthetics.