Name: The Dead (chilli red, lime green)
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 5 (235 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Damien Hirst's The Dead (chilli red, lime green) (signed) is estimated to be worth between £4,800 to £7,000. This artwork, created in 2009, is a rare piece with a steady auction history. The foil block medium adds a unique and eye-catching element to this artwork. The edition size of this piece is limited to 15.

Meaning & Analysis

The Dead (chilli red, lime green) is a signed foil block print in colours on Arches paper produced by renowned contemporary artist, Damien Hirst. In this print, Hirst depicts a large skull in a bold chilli red with splashes of lime green. The skull floats menacingly in the centre of the composition, contrasting with the plain white backdrop.

read more about The Dead

The print, made in 2009, is one of thirty-one prints that compose The Dead series. Each print in the series depicts a skull, however Hirst uses a unique combination of two colours for every print. Sometimes the colours complement one another, however, in The Dead (chilli red, lime green), Hirst opts for two colours that contrast dramatically. The central theme of the series, represented through the use of the skull motif, is death. Hirst frequently explores this theme in his artworks, and from the start of his artistic career was interested in the relationship between art and its ability to explore questions of life and death.

As well as using skulls in his art to explore the theme of death, Hirst has also made artworks out of dead insects arranged in beautiful patterns, dead animals preserved in formaldehyde, and pharmaceutical products like tablet boxes and medicine cabinets.