Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Damien Hirst Print Index
Life
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Life (2009) is a signed and numbered etching from Damien Hirst's butterfly series, published by Other Criteria in an edition of 45. At 47.3 x 39.2 cm, its finely worked butterfly emerges from a black field like a mounted specimen, the title framing the motif within Hirst's ongoing meditation on vitality and mortality.
Collector notes: The saved release record describes: Edition of 45. The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
Titled works in this series carry deliberate thematic weight, and Life anchors the optimistic pole of Hirst's butterfly vocabulary. It shows the artist working in restrained intaglio rather than his signature glossed color, a register that rewards close looking and situates a monumental theme at a collectable, domestic scale.
Collector Perspective
An edition of 45 keeps Life among the scarcer butterfly etchings. The Other Criteria imprint and the artist's signature and number provide provenance collectors expect from a Hirst edition. Because the etchings share a format but differ by title, Life also appeals to buyers assembling a thematic grouping across the series.
Historical Context
Issued in 2009 by Other Criteria, Life sits within a set of butterfly etchings whose titles span love, regeneration, freedom, spirituality and death. The butterfly's long history as a symbol, depicted in art and embedded in resin for centuries, underpins Hirst's reading of it as a natural emblem of transience.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print or object
- Release date
- 2009
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Etching; catalog dimensions 47.3 x 39.2 cm.
- Edition details
- The saved release record describes: Edition of 45.
- Signature and marks
- The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Damien Hirst's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: Read as documented context rather than stated intent: Issued in 2009 by Other Criteria, Life sits within a set of butterfly etchings whose titles span love, regeneration, freedom, spirituality and death. This is an interpretive reading of the release context, not a statement of the artist's intent for this specific work. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2009 and attributes the edition to Other Criteria. The saved description also notes: Published by Other Criteria.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to Other Criteria. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, year, edition, dimensions, medium, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
- Damien Hirst — official site — Damien Hirst studio (Science Ltd.) · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official artist site; career context, not an individual-edition record.
- Damien Hirst — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Damien Hirst (Q294326) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
Is Life signed by the artist?
Yes, each impression is signed and numbered by Damien Hirst.
Who published Life?
It was published by Other Criteria, Hirst's own print imprint, in 2009.
How many were made?
The edition size is 45.
What does the butterfly symbolize in Hirst's work?
Across cultures the butterfly has signified love, regeneration, freedom, spirituality and death, themes Hirst references directly through his titles.
