Damien Hirst – The Virtues

HENI Leviathan is delighted to release a set of eight cherry blossom prints by Damien Hirst: 'The Virtues', published by HENI Editions.

The eight prints, created after Hirst's 'Cherry Blossoms' paintings (2018-20), are each titled after one of The Eight Virtues of Bushidō according to Nitobe Inazō – Justice, Courage, Mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honour, Loyalty, Control.

Referencing impressionism, pointillism and action painting, 'The Virtues' are about the spontaneous joy of spring. As Damien Hirst said,

'Cherry Blossoms' are about beauty and life and death. They’re extreme – there’s something hopeful yet hopeless about them. They’re art but taken from nature. They’re about desire and how we process love and why we need it, but also these prints are about the momentary, the insane transience of beauty – a tree in full crazy blossom against a clear blue sky. How can you argue with that? It’s been so good to make these prints, to be completely lost in colour for a while. Blossoms are optimistic and bright yet fragile, just like we are and I hope that The Virtues can remind us to always try and get the most from life.

In 'The Virtues' Hirst once more harnesses the possibilities of printmaking to experiment with technology, making his work available to new audiences along the way. Reproduced in extraordinarily high resolution, in 'The Virtues' Hirst shrinks his monumental canvases into accessible prints, retaining the tactility of their captivatingly thick impasto and the vibrancy of their colours.

Justice (H9-1), Courage (H9-2) from The Virtues, Damien Hirst, 2021

For the first time, both HENI Leviathan and the artist Damien Hirst will be accepting cryptocurrency. Payments can be made by either Bitcoin (BTC) or Ether (ETH), as well as by credit or debit card.

The prints are available for a limited time, and the number of editions produced will be limited by demand during the sale period.

Damien Hirst – 'The Virtues'
Edition: H9
Medium: Laminated Giclée print on aluminium composite panel
Details: Signed and numbered on label
Dimensions: 120 x 96 cm
Edition Size: 1005
Date: 2021