Name: Glycine Cresol Red
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 4.9 (226 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Damien Hirst's Glycine Cresol Red (signed) is estimated to be worth between £3,900 and £6,000. This woodcut print, created in 2011, has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 3%. This work has an auction history of three sales since its entry to the market in November 2016. The hammer price over the past five years has ranged from £3,000 to £6,000, and the average return to the seller is £4,900. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 55.

Auction Date

Auction House

Artwork

Hammer Price

Return to Seller

Buyer Paid

April 2023

Bonhams New Bond Street - United Kingdom

Glycine Cresol Red - Signed Print

January 2018

Phillips London - United Kingdom

Glycine Cresol Red - Signed Print

November 2016

Bonhams New Bond Street - United Kingdom

Glycine Cresol Red - Signed Print

Meaning & Analysis

Glycine Cresol Red is a woodcut print from Damien Hirst’s 40 Woodcut Spots series from 2011. Showing three rows of three spots, identical in size and shape, this square composition is an example of Hirst’s fascination with exploring colour and form. Each spot is a different colour and every print in the series represents a unique set of colour combinations.

The 40 Woodcut Spots series is reminiscent of Hirst’s vast series of spot paintings, of which there are over 1000 in existence, dating from 1988 to 2011. The spots represent abstraction reduced to its most basic mechanisms: colour, form and composition. The grid formula for these paintings is the basis for an unbounded series where Hirst can infinitely explore harmonious and contrasting colour combinations.

The repletion of spots in Glycine Cresol Red, as with many others in the series, creates a visual buzz that is energetic yet highly regimented. The use of perfect circles is eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing, appealing to a wide audience. 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.”