Name: The Dead (Panama copper, turquoise)
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 4.9 (223 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Damien Hirst’s The Dead (Panama copper, turquoise) is estimated to be worth between £5,000 and £7,500. This signed foil block artwork was created in 2009 and has shown strong value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 17%. The current hammer price over the last 12 months is £2,448. This work is part of a limited edition of 15 and has a positive auction history, having been sold once at auction since its initial sale in August 2020.

Auction Date

Auction House

Artwork

Hammer Price

Return to Seller

Buyer Paid

August 2020

Tate Ward Auctions - United Kingdom

The Dead (Panama copper, turquoise) - Signed Print

Meaning & Analysis

The Dead (Panama copper, turquoise) is a signed foil block print in colours on Arches paper produced by renowned contemporary artist, Damien Hirst. In this print, Hirst renders a large skull in an earthy copper colour with hints of dark turquoise. Against the plain white backdrop, the skull appears to be floating without a body, as it stares out at the viewer of the print.

The print, produced in 2009, is part of the artist’s The Dead series. In this series, Hirst made thirty-one prints, all of which depict colourful skulls. The skull is a central element of the artist’s visual language and iconography. The series resonates with other series, such as I Once Was What You Are, You Will Be What I Am (2007) and Memento (2008), however it stands out from them due to Hirst’s bold incorporation of colour.

Hirst’s use of colour in The Dead (Panama copper, turquoise) reflects how death and human mortality is often thought of and discussed. The artist explains: “you don’t like it [death], so you disguise it or you decorate it to make it look like something bearable – to such an extent that it becomes something else.”