Butterfly Heart – H7-3

In May 2020, Damien Hirst released his vibrant ‘Butterfly Heart’, one of four limited edition rainbow
prints produced during the COVID‐19 pandemic. With all of the profits of its sale donated to The Felix Project, the print was released within a fixed time frame for
purchase. As such, the number of editions ordered determined the final size of the edition.

‘Butterfly Heart’ combines the rainbow, a symbol of support of the NHS in Britain throughout the
pandemic, with butterflies, one of Hirst’s best‐known motifs. This laminated giclée print on
aluminium composite panel is digitally composed of photographed butterfly wings assembled into
bands of colour, their puzzle‐like compositions recollective of his ‘Kaleidoscope’ works. Ranging from
the yellow wings that nearly fade into the background to the bold blue wings rendered with
practically scientific detail, Hirst’s perennial love for butterflies and attention to their multitudinous
forms is distinctly present.

Hirst’s ‘Butterfly Heart’ is both a standout contribution to his oeuvre of butterfly works and an
emotive tribute to those who have sacrificed much to help the country through the COVID‐19
pandemic. ‘I want to pay tribute to them with this rainbow heart, a symbol of solidarity and hope’.