Name: Guaiazulene
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 5 (233 reviews)

Track auction value trend

Damien Hirst's Guaiazulene, a signed woodcut from 2010, is estimated to be worth between £22,000 and £35,000. This artwork has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 43%. There have been 1 sale at auction to date, which took place on 18th January 2023. The hammer price over the past five years has ranged from £16,867 in January 2018 to £35,000 in January 2023. The edition size of this piece is limited to 48.

Auction Date

Auction House

Location

Hammer Price

Return to Seller

Buyer Paid

January 2023

Phillips London

United Kingdom

Meaning & Analysis

Guaiazulene is a woodcut print from Damien Hirst’s 12 Woodcut Spots series from 2010. The print shows five rows of four spots that are identical in size and shape. Across the artist’s vast oeuvre every spot painting represents a unique combination of colours. The 12 Woodcut Spots series is an exploration of colour and form that is distinctly Hirstian.

The 12 Woodcut Spots series recalls Hirst’s widely recognised spot paintings that date from 1986 to 2011. Since 1986, Hirst has created over 60 spot paintings a year, it’s ‘grid formula’ establishing the basis for an endless series. The endlessness of the series allows for an infinite exploration of harmonious and contrasting colour combinations.

The titles of the prints in this series are based on names of chemical compounds and are abstract in their lack of signification to something tangible in the world. The chemical name evokes a nondescript powder or pill that exacerbates the incessant endlessness to the series. Hirst in 2000 remarked on the impact of an installation of multiple spot paintings, “it’s an assault on your senses. They grab hold of you and give you a good shaking. As adults, we’re not used to it. It’s an amazing fact that all objects leap beyond their own dimension.”