Which signature or marks are documented?

Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition. 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.

Is original packaging or presentation documented?

Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.

How certain are the release details?

The year, edition, dimensions, and medium come from a saved secondary catalog record. Artist-level context is added from general references, but not every release-level field is independently confirmed.

Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Damien Hirst Print Index

Opium (First Edition)

Damien Hirst · 2000 · C-Type Photographic Print

Year2000

MediumC-Type Photographic Print

EditionFirst Edition

Edition size500

Dimensions48 x 43 cm

Retail (MSRP)Unknown

PublisherEyestorm

EraPharmaceutical

Collector6/10

Visual6/10

Historical6/10

ScarcityScarce

Work Summary & Collector Notes

Opium , 2000, is a full-colour Lambda print on archive paper, published by Eyestorm in an edition of 500. At a compact 43 by 48 cm, it is the most intimate of Hirst's pharmaceutical photographs here, naming its spot composition after one of history's oldest and most fraught medicinal substances.

Collector notes: The saved release record describes: Edition of 500. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.

Why It Matters

The title Opium reaches back to the origins of pharmacology and addiction alike, giving Hirst's clinical grid a darker undertow than his brand-name titles. It compresses his themes of medicine, pleasure and mortality into a small, dense image, showing how a single word can recast an otherwise orderly arrangement of colour.

Collector Perspective

Its modest scale makes Opium an approachable Hirst pharmaceutical work, well suited to smaller walls and first-time collectors of the series. Buyers should confirm the Eyestorm edition of 500, check the archive-paper surface for handling marks, and note whether their example carries a signature, as issuance can vary within a run.

Historical Context

Issued in Hirst's 2000 Eyestorm group of pharmaceutical photographs, Opium shares their online-distribution lineage and clinical spot vocabulary. The choice of an ancient narcotic, rather than a modern brand, links the work to Hirst's broader memento mori concerns and the long human history of medicine as both cure and peril.

Documented Release Details

Object type: Editioned print or object
Release date: 2000
Release-date note: Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
Medium and materials: C-Type Photographic Print; catalog dimensions 48 x 43 cm; Full colour finish lamda print on archive paper.
Edition details: The saved release record describes: Edition of 500.
Signature and marks: Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering 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 Hirst's 2000 Eyestorm group of pharmaceutical photographs, Opium shares their online-distribution lineage and clinical spot vocabulary. 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 2000 and attributes the edition to Eyestorm. The saved description also notes: Published by Eyestorm.

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 Eyestorm. 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

How large is the print?

It is compact, measuring roughly 43 by 48 cm, the smallest of the pharmaceutical photographs in this group.

What is the edition size?

It was published by Eyestorm in an edition of 500.

What medium is used?

It is a full-colour Lambda print on archive paper.

How does it differ from Valium or LSD?

It shares the pharmaceutical spot vocabulary but is smaller in scale, and its title references an ancient narcotic rather than a modern pharmaceutical brand.