Love is All You Need

Emblematic as they are of both the ephemerality of life and the romance of death, butterflies have
long been considered one of Damien Hirst’s acclaimed hallmarks, symbolising the diverse concepts
of freedom, beauty, life and death. Among his most serene compositions from the series is the much
sought after editioned screenprint ‘Love is All You Need’ from 2016.

In the present work, variously coloured and sized images of butterflies are apparently suspended in
celebration against a white heart background. This shaped background contains the butterflies while
simultaneously alluding to the freedom and graceful movement that their likenesses recall. While
the butterflies of ‘Love is All You Need’ are reproductions, the stark contrast between their brilliantly
coloured wings and the white background as well as the various directions that the butterflies turn
nonetheless eloquently imply life.

Featuring motifs that have followed Hirst throughout his career, ‘Love is All You Need’ embodies
concerns that remain central to the artist’s practice to this day, namely the persistence of love and
happiness in the face of death.