Damien Hirst’s Cefoxitin belongs to his iconic Spot Paintings series, one of the most recognizable and enduring bodies of work in contemporary art. Created in the 1980s and continuing into the present, these works are defined by their uniform arrangements of brightly colored circles, evenly spaced against a pristine white background.

In Cefoxitin, Hirst arranges twelve perfectly round dots in a grid-like structure, each rendered in a different hue ranging from bold primaries—reds, blues, greens—to softer pastels and deep neutrals. The meticulous placement and flat, unmodulated application of color lend the work a sense of mechanical precision, while the chromatic variety creates vibrancy and rhythm across the surface. No two dots are the same color, and their spacing leaves the surrounding white space as important as the circles themselves, allowing the painting to breathe and heightening the optical balance.

Hirst has stated that the Spot Paintings were conceived as a way to produce pure color—isolated, unblended, and stripped of gesture or personal expression. By removing the artist’s hand, the paintings suggest a clinical, pharmaceutical quality, mirroring the naming convention of the works. Each title, including Cefoxitin, is borrowed from a chemical compound, specifically pharmaceutical drugs. Cefoxitin is an antibiotic, and its reference here underscores Hirst’s ongoing preoccupation with medicine, mortality, and systems of order.

The cool detachment of the Spot Paintings contrasts with the chaos of human experience, offering what Hirst once described as a “scientific approach to painting.” At the same time, the colors elicit emotional and sensory responses that resist total rationalization, reflecting the tension between order and feeling.

Cefoxitin embodies the paradox at the heart of the Spot Paintings: though seemingly endless in repetition, each work is unique, distinguished by its particular arrangement, size, and palette. This balance between sameness and individuality has made the series a cornerstone of Hirst’s practice and a critical reference point in late-20th- and early-21st-century art. The series has been exhibited globally, collected by major institutions, and remains highly sought-after in the art market.

In Cefoxitin, Hirst captures the essence of the series: a clinical yet playful exploration of color, science, and abstraction, where rigorous systems meet the joyful unpredictability of hue.