Damien Hirst
Memento 1, 2008
Hand-inked photogravure on 400 gsm Velin d'Arches paper
119.6 x 108.4 cm.
47 x 42 1/2 in.
47 x 42 1/2 in.
Edition VII / XXX
Signed; numbered
Excellent condition
Framed
Excellent condition
Framed
Further images
Impression VII from the edition of 30 portfolios, each comprising thirteen etchings; each print is signed by the artist on the front and numbered in Roman numerals on the reverse,...
Impression VII from the edition of 30 portfolios, each comprising thirteen etchings; each print is signed by the artist on the front and numbered in Roman numerals on the reverse, with each complete set numbered on the colophon page.
Created in 2008, Memento 1 forms part of Damien Hirst’s portfolio Memento, published by The Paragon Press. The series brings together thirteen hand-inked photogravure etchings: six butterfly subjects, six skulls and a final image based upon Hirst’s diamond-encrusted sculpture For the Love of God. Through these recurring motifs, the portfolio addresses mortality, memory and the human impulse to preserve what must inevitably disappear.
A single butterfly is isolated against a dense black ground, its outstretched wings occupying much of the large sheet. The controlled symmetry of its body is countered by the intricate patterning and subtle tonal variation of the wings. The hand-inked photogravure process records these details with unusual precision, while the surrounding darkness heightens the impression of the butterfly as both a natural specimen and an emblem removed from ordinary time.
Butterflies have occupied a central place in Hirst’s work since the early 1990s. Their metamorphosis and brief lifespan allow them to signify regeneration and transcendence while remaining inseparable from death. In Memento 1, the apparent vitality of the butterfly is complicated by its stillness: displayed frontally and without any environmental setting, it appears suspended between living presence and preserved remains.
The title recalls the Latin expression memento mori—“remember that you must die”—and places the butterfly within a longstanding artistic tradition of contemplating mortality. By presenting it alongside skulls and the image of his celebrated diamond skull, Hirst connects natural fragility with humanity’s attempts to resist impermanence through art, wealth and memorialisation. Memento 1 therefore operates simultaneously as an image of beauty and a restrained meditation upon its inevitable loss.
A detailed condition report is available upon request.
Created in 2008, Memento 1 forms part of Damien Hirst’s portfolio Memento, published by The Paragon Press. The series brings together thirteen hand-inked photogravure etchings: six butterfly subjects, six skulls and a final image based upon Hirst’s diamond-encrusted sculpture For the Love of God. Through these recurring motifs, the portfolio addresses mortality, memory and the human impulse to preserve what must inevitably disappear.
A single butterfly is isolated against a dense black ground, its outstretched wings occupying much of the large sheet. The controlled symmetry of its body is countered by the intricate patterning and subtle tonal variation of the wings. The hand-inked photogravure process records these details with unusual precision, while the surrounding darkness heightens the impression of the butterfly as both a natural specimen and an emblem removed from ordinary time.
Butterflies have occupied a central place in Hirst’s work since the early 1990s. Their metamorphosis and brief lifespan allow them to signify regeneration and transcendence while remaining inseparable from death. In Memento 1, the apparent vitality of the butterfly is complicated by its stillness: displayed frontally and without any environmental setting, it appears suspended between living presence and preserved remains.
The title recalls the Latin expression memento mori—“remember that you must die”—and places the butterfly within a longstanding artistic tradition of contemplating mortality. By presenting it alongside skulls and the image of his celebrated diamond skull, Hirst connects natural fragility with humanity’s attempts to resist impermanence through art, wealth and memorialisation. Memento 1 therefore operates simultaneously as an image of beauty and a restrained meditation upon its inevitable loss.
A detailed condition report is available upon request.