Damien Hirst creates his own rainbow art featuring his trademark butterfly designs as Sir Quentin Blake launches range of free rainbow e-cards to help people connect with loved ones during coronavirus lockdown
- Damien Hirst has created his own rainbow art to pay tribute to NHS staff
- Children across the UK have been making pictures of rainbows as a symbol of hope to stick in their windows following the coronavirus lockdown measures
- Now British contemporary artist Hirst, 54, has made his own for everyone to use
- Sir Quentin Blake, famous for illustrating Roald Dahl books, has also created a series of new, free rainbow e-cards for people to send to loved ones
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
Damien Hirst has created his own rainbow art to pay tribute to the NHS staff across Great Britain.
Children across the UK have been making pictures of rainbows as a symbol of hope to stick to their windows since schools closed.
Now Hirst, 54, has made his own – featuring images of coloured butterfly wings, one of the controversial artist’s best-known motifs.
Butterfly Rainbow can be downloaded from the artist’s website and displayed in windows.
Damien Hirst has created his own rainbow art – featuring images of coloured butterfly wings, one of the controversial artist’s best-known motifs – to pay tribute to NHS staff
Contemporary artist Hirst has made the art free for everyone to download from his website
Hirst said: ‘I wanted to do something to pay tribute to the wonderful work NHS staff are doing in hospitals around the country.
‘The rainbow is a sign of hope and I think it is brilliant that parents and children are creating their own version and putting them up in the windows of their homes.’
A limited edition of Hirst’s work is also being produced which will be sold with all profits donated to the NHS.
Sir Quentin Blake, famous for illustrating Roald Dahl books, has also created a series of new, free rainbow e-cards for people to send to loved ones who they cannot see due to the lockdown.
Sir Quentin Blake (pictured), famous for illustrating Roald Dahl books, has also created a series of new, free rainbow e-cards for people to send to loved ones
Blake created the e-cards for people to send to loved ones who they cannot see in lockdown
Hirst’s work over the years has included butterfly collages and spin paintings as well as controversial creations, such as a pickled shark.
However, the Bristol-born artist – who is reportedly one of the UK richest living artists – sparked outrage among animal rights activists in 2012 after he used thousands of live butterflies during his In and Out of Love exhibition.
The 23-week exhibition saw more than 9,000 of the insects die – around 400 a week.
A spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said at the time: ‘Hirst’s quest to be edgy is as boring as it is callous.’
The artwork, shown at the Tate Modern gallery in London between April and September, was part of a retrospective of Hirst’s work, which attracted almost half a million visitors.
Hirst defended his work, saying: ‘A butterfly expert was employed at considerable cost.
‘Perfect living conditions were replicated and this resulted in many butterflies enjoying longer lifespans due to the high quality of the environment and food provided.’
A spokesman for Tate Modern also defended the work in 2012, claiming: ‘The butterflies used in this work were all selected from varieties known to thrive in the conditions created.
‘The butterflies lived out the final stage of their natural life cycle inside this room. Around 400 butterflies were introduced to the exhibition over the course of each week.’
The Butterfly Rainbow can be downloaded from the artist’s website here: www.damienhirst.com