Executed in 2015, Canon belongs to Damien Hirst’s sustained exploration of the butterfly, one of the most recognisable and symbolically charged motifs within his practice. Signed and numbered from an edition of 50, the giclée print was produced by Other Criteria.

In this compact composition, coloured butterfly wings are arranged into an intricate, symmetrical pattern. By removing the butterflies’ bodies and retaining only their dazzling wings, Hirst draws attention to their decorative beauty. The radiating design recalls the geometry of stained-glass windows and mandalas, lending the work a luminous and contemplative quality.

Hirst first incorporated butterflies into his work in 1989 and has since employed the motif across paintings, prints and immersive installations featuring live specimens. He has described the butterfly as a “universal trigger”, reflecting its widespread associations with beauty and joy. Each butterfly’s distinctive markings suggest individuality, while its transformation and brief lifespan allow Hirst to explore growth, change, life and death.

The butterfly subsequently became central to Hirst’s Kaleidoscope paintings, begun in 2001 after the artist encountered a Victorian tea tray decorated with intricate patterns of butterfly wings. With its precise symmetry and vibrant colour, Canon transforms the natural fragility of the butterfly into a permanent and highly ordered image, bringing together Hirst’s enduring preoccupations with beauty, mortality and the relationship between art and life. A detailed condition report is available upon request.