Description

DESCRIPTION: Original drawing in pen on a single graph-paper sheet with perforated edges measuring 11 5/8 x 8 1/4 inches ( 29.5 x 21cm). SIGNED and INSCRIBED with title and date to Frank Dunphy (1937-2020; the Irish-born business brain behind Hirst's multimillion-pound career who also represented Tracey Emin, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Ray Winstone); housed in its original frame with Sotheby's inventory, collocation and lot stickers attached to the frame recto. In this original, hand-drawn design by Damien Hirst, the artist revisits his Catholic upbringing by re-imagining his earlier work, The Evangelists, that debuted only a few months earlier in 2003. In that work, Hirst combined his previous interests in the collection, composition and organization of elaborate medical curio cabinets with his groundbreaking presentations of animals locked in formaldehyde aquariums, yet did so in a manner that places both of those conceptual themes within a specifically religious set of perameters. Here then, by revisiting The Evangelists once more within this original drawing (2004), Hirst offers another insightful, original work of art that is intricately woven by and into some of the larger, seminal aspets of his early thought and artistic production; and one that likewise finds him combining his constant and continued fascination with the psychology of life and death (as represented through the lenses of medicine, zoology and taxidermy) with a specifically religious set of colorings to create an open and vibrant dialogue with his own Catholic upbringing (and by extension similar Christian influences experienced by others around the globe). The Evangelists (as drawing, 2004), therefore presents us with an energetic, vibrant and vivid artistic gesture, a provocative window through which we can readily observe and discuss the groundbreaking artistic output Hirst produced up until the moment in which he penned this fascinating work of art. CONDITION: Fine; clean and bright with mere hints of wear when observed upon extremely close and careful inspection. The sheet is hinged verso to the backing board and the simple white frame is in excellent condition. Overall, The Evangelists (2004) is a vibrant, edgy and provocative artwork, a great conversation piece perfect for any Damien Hirst enthusiast or collector. OTHER ARTISTS IN OUR AUCTION INCLUDE: Mr. Brainwash Penn, Irving Meyerowitz, Joel Warhol, Andy Crewdson, Gregory Prince, Richard Weiwei, Ai McShine, Kynaston; Serra, Richard Cartier-Bresson, Henri Hirst, Damien Gehry, Frank Ruscha, Ed; Ban, Shigeru;