Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Damien Hirst Print Index
Riot
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Riot is a 2017 silkscreen from Hirst's 'Eat the Rich' series, published by Other Criteria in an edition of 150, signed and numbered, at 40 by 30 inches (1016 by 762 mm). It depicts pharmaceutical packaging in which the brand name is replaced by the word 'Riot', a term of collective unrest set against clinical design.
Collector notes: The saved release record describes: Edition of 150. The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
Riot introduces a note of crowd violence into the series' otherwise individual-body vocabulary, broadening the range of force Hirst catalogues across the twelve prints. The composed, orderly packaging holds the disorder implied by the word in tension, a deliberate friction that gives the piece its conceptual charge within the suite.
Collector Perspective
Riot functions as both an individual graphic statement and a member of the collectible set of twelve. In an edition of 150, the ideal acquisition is a signed and numbered impression with crisp registration and unmarked margins. Collectors building the full 'Eat the Rich' run prioritise matched condition and consistent framing across sheets.
Historical Context
Released in 2017 through Other Criteria, Riot belongs to a body of work that, like the Last Supper screenprints, appropriates packaging design to interrogate the medical industry. Hirst's recurring return to pharmaceutical imagery, begun with his Medicine Cabinets, treats the pill packet as a modern emblem of manufactured confidence.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2017
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Screen Print; catalog dimensions 40 x 30 inches; Silkscreen print; 'Eat the Rich' is a new series of twelve screenprints that depicts pharmaceutical packaging in which the tablet's brand name has been replaced by a word implying violence or force; Similar to the thirteen-part 'Last Supper' screenprints, 'Eat the Rich' illustrates the artist's "obsession with the body" and the medical industry attached to it, in which confidence is exuded through minimalist designs that perpetuate "the modernist fantasy […] that everyone and everything can be cured.".
- Edition details
- The saved release record describes: Edition of 150.
- 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: Released in 2017 through Other Criteria, Riot belongs to a body of work that, like the Last Supper screenprints, appropriates packaging design to interrogate the medical industry. 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 2017 and attributes the edition to Other Criteria. The saved description also notes: Published by Other Criteria.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- The saved release description references: 'Eat the Rich' is a new series of twelve screenprints that depicts pharmaceutical packaging in which the tablet's brand name has been replaced by a word implying violence or force. Confirm any original sleeve, tube, box, or backing board copy by copy.
- 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
What word appears on Riot?
The pharmaceutical brand name is replaced by the word 'Riot'.
What is the medium and edition?
It is a silkscreen in an edition of 150, signed and numbered.
What are its dimensions?
The unframed sheet is 40 by 30 inches, or 1016 by 762 mm.
Which series is it from?
It is part of Hirst's twelve-part 'Eat the Rich' series.
