The contemporary pop art cherry blossom ‘Loyalty' is one of the eight from the iconic ‘Virtues’ series by Damien Hirst, the laminated giclée print on aluminum panel was created in 2021 as a reflection of his latest exploration as a master contemporary Artist, mirroring the series of 107 ‘Cherry Blossom’ paintings which were exhibited for the first time at the Fondation Cartier in Paris, July 2021. Signed and numbered on verso, ‘Loyalty' is of the limited edition of 1,067 in existence. Saturated with vibrant splatters of paint, each work is titled after one of The Eight Virtues of Bushidō according to Nitobe Inazō (Justice, Courage, Mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honour, Loyalty, and Control.) The series encapsulates Hirst’s iconic oeuvre, as he commented of the series, "What I loved about them at first, was the way that they were kind of in between representational and abstract. I always imagined them looking from underneath, at the canopy; they didn't have an up or down. But then towards the end, I started painting the trunk, and they became much more rooted in the ground. And I became happier with them looking a bit more like a tree, which I became afraid of. Maybe that's why the trunks became more part of it, because in the beginning of the whole series, I was thinking more about being disconnected from the earth, whereas by the end of it, I wanted to be firmly rooted." Fascinated by the beauty of the natural world’s capability for renewal and growth, Hirst found a way to bring his motif of universal triggers into the focus of the series while simultaneously exploring his depth as a contemporary painter in the ever-changing world of contemporary art. Hirst said this of his process while creating, “I feel alive when I'm painting them. So I'm putting my life into it. It's a lot, you , know, of climbing up a ladder, throwing paint, mixing big buckets, chinking them on the canvas from far away - all that energy of life is actually caught in the paint." Arriving ready-to-install in a custom frame comprised of museum caliber materials, ‘Loyalty’ is completed with non-glare UV protective glass and sealed in a satin white finish. To learn more about our collection of blue chip artworks by Damien Hirst, please visit our website.