Damien Hirst is a well-renowned artist known for larger-than-life artworks such as a 12 ft. sculpture in the middle of a frozen lake in St Moritz, Switzerland, the famed ‘Bodies’ painting worth a whopping $2.5 million or the 60-foot bronze statue ‘Demon with Bowl’ at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The famed artist has now launched a series of eight cherry blossom prints called ‘The Virtues’ with contemporary art platform HENI Leviathan. The artworks are each titled after one of the eight virtues of Bushidō: Justice, Courage, Mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honour, Loyalty, Control. What comes as a pleasant surprise is that the artworks are selling for just $3000 a pop and a relatively tamed demeanor. Adding to the list of ‘firsts,’ Hirst will be accepting digital currencies Bitcoin and Ether as payment. According to the announcement, “For the first time, both HENI Leviathan and the artist Damien Hirst will be accepting cryptocurrency for payment of editions, either Bitcoin or ether can make payments, as well as by credit or debit card.” fans of this unconventional artist work do keep in mind that the prints will be numbered and signed by Hirst and will be available for only a week.
Hirst said, “Cherry Blossoms are about beauty and life and death. They’re extreme; there’s something hopeful yet hopeless about them. They’re art but taken from nature. They’re about desire and how we process love and why we need it, but also these prints are about the momentary, the insane transience of beauty – a tree in full crazy blossom against a clear blue sky,” no that certainly sounds like a blooming bargain.
