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Damien Hirst H4-7 Ryoanji For Sale
Damien Hirst
H4-7 Ryoanji, 2020
Diasec-mounted Giclée print on aluminium panel
36 1/4 x 49 5/8 in 91.9 x 126 cm
Edition
Edition of 75
About this work
"Ryoanji," a part of Damien Hirst's Veil Spots series, is a captivating exploration of color, abstraction, and perceptual intrigue. Hirst's canvas bursts with vibrant hues arranged in overlapping dots, reminiscent of Post-Impressionist painter Pierre Bonnard. The title evokes a sense of mystery, referencing the Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, known for its Zen rock garden where simplicity and contemplation reign supreme.In "Ryoanji," as in other works from the series, Hirst skillfully layers colored dots to create a veil-like effect, simultaneously revealing and obscuring truths. Each dot, meticulously placed, contributes to the overall tapestry of color and texture, inviting viewers to delve deeper into the enigmatic composition.Documented in a video showcasing Hirst's creative process in his London studio, "Ryoanji" emerges as a labor of love, with each brushstroke and dab of impasto adding depth and complexity to the artwork. The texture of the painting demystifies its creation, allowing viewers to witness the various stages of its composition and appreciate the time and effort invested in its making.Unlike Hirst's earlier works, such as the Spot Paintings and Medicine Cabinet series, where color was approached with precision, in the Veil series, including "Ryoanji," color is expressed freely and intuitively. This departure reflects Hirst's fascination with the psychological impact of color and his ongoing exploration of its emotive potential.As one of the ninety-four paintings in the Veil Spots series, "Ryoanji" represents a culmination of Hirst's artistic journey within this particular body of work. It stands as a testament to his evolution as an artist and his commitment to pushing the boundaries of visual expression. With its vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and meditative aura, "Ryoanji" invites viewers to immerse themselves in its beauty and contemplate the interplay between perception and reality.
Price on Application
Edition & Provenance
- Year
- 2020
- Medium
- Diasec-mounted Giclée print on aluminium panel
- Edition
- Edition of 75
More from this series
More series by Damien Hirst
About the H4 - Veil Spots Series
Damien Hirst H4 - Veil Spots Prints For Sale
Market Authority & Performance
Guy Hepner, New York, has executed $4,226,125 in Damien Hirst transactions, establishing definitive expertise in navigating the artist's complex print editions and maintaining direct relationships with serious collectors worldwide. As the global art market returned to growth in 2025 according to the Art Basel & UBS Global Art Market Report 2026—following a $57.5 billion market valuation in 2024—Hirst's editions continue demonstrating sustained collector interest across primary and secondary channels.
Damien Hirst remains the defining figure of the Young British Artists movement, having achieved landmark results including Lullaby Spring at $19.2 million through Sotheby's in 2007 and the historic "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" single-artist auction, which realized $198 million total at Sotheby's in 2008—a watershed moment that fundamentally altered how contemporary artists approach market strategy. The Veil Spots series, authenticated through Science Ltd and represented by White Cube, represents a sophisticated evolution of Hirst's iconic spot motif, introducing atmospheric complexity while maintaining the conceptual rigor that defines his most collected bodies of work.
Recent auction activity confirms active secondary market engagement, with H4-3 Garden Of Dreams (2018) achieving GBP 6,898 at auction in June 2025—establishing current market benchmarks for this distinguished series.
Series Context: The Evolution of the Spot
The Veil Spots series, initiated in 2018 with continued development through 2020, represents Hirst's most contemplative reexamination of his pharmaceutical spot paintings—works that first emerged in 1986 and have since become among the most recognizable images in contemporary art. Where the original Pharmaceutical Paintings deployed clinical precision and industrial uniformity, the Veil Spots introduce deliberate atmospheric intervention: each composition filters the characteristic grid through translucent veils that soften boundaries, blur edges, and create unprecedented depth within Hirst's spot vocabulary.
This series directly engages with perception, memory, and the passage of time. The titular "veil" functions both literally—as a visual scrim that diffuses the familiar spot arrangement—and metaphorically, suggesting the way experience accumulates layers of meaning. Titles drawn from celebrated gardens worldwide—Keukenhof, Kew, Ryoanji, Sans Souci—position these works within traditions of contemplative space and cultivated beauty, marking a significant departure from the pharmaceutical nomenclature that characterized earlier spot iterations.
The Veil Spots emerged during a period of intensive studio production at Science Ltd, coinciding with Hirst's broader reexamination of signature motifs. This series stands alongside the Cherry Blossoms and related bodies of work that demonstrate the artist's continued capacity for formal innovation within established conceptual frameworks.
Technical Specifications
All works in the Veil Spots series are executed as Diasec-mounted Giclée prints on aluminium panel—a production methodology that ensures archival permanence, chromatic precision, and the luminous surface quality essential to the series' atmospheric effects. The Diasec process, involving face-mounting photographic prints to acrylic glass with silicone adhesive, produces exceptional color saturation and apparent depth, creating an almost backlit quality that enhances the veiled transparency central to each composition.
The aluminium panel substrate provides structural rigidity and dimensional stability superior to traditional stretcher-mounted works, while the frameless presentation emphasizes the object-like quality Hirst consistently pursues across his edition works. Each piece is authenticated through Science Ltd, Hirst's studio operation, ensuring provenance integrity and edition verification.
The series comprises works produced across two distinct phases: the 2018 editions including Sans Souci, Andromeda, Garden Of Dreams, and Cannizaro, followed by the 2020 continuation featuring Keukenhof, Ryoanji, and Kew.
Notable Works in Series
H4-1 Sans Souci (2018) — Named for Frederick the Great's summer palace in Potsdam, whose name translates as "without worry," this work establishes the series' engagement with idealized garden spaces and aristocratic leisure.
H4-2 Andromeda (2018) — Introducing celestial reference to the garden nomenclature, suggesting cosmic scale within the intimate spot format.
H4-3 Garden Of Dreams (2018) — The work with established auction precedent, achieving GBP 6,898 in June 2025, providing current market validation for series valuation.
H4-4 Cannizaro (2018) — Referencing the historic Cannizaro Park in Wimbledon, continuing the series' meditation on cultivated natural spaces.
H4-6 Kew (2020) — Drawing upon the Royal Botanic Gardens, perhaps the world's most significant botanical collection.
H4-7 Ryoanji (2020) — Named for Kyoto's renowned Zen temple and its iconic rock garden, introducing Eastern contemplative traditions.
H4-8 Keukenhof (2020) — Referencing the celebrated Dutch flower gardens, completing the series' global garden survey.
Investment Analysis
The Veil Spots occupy a strategic position within Hirst's edition market. As atmospheric reinterpretations of the artist's most iconic motif, they offer collectors entry into the spot painting legacy while representing genuine formal advancement rather than simple reproduction. The series benefits from Hirst's extraordinary market infrastructure—maintained auction presence through Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, and Bonhams—while offering accessibility relative to unique works.
The June 2025 auction result for Garden Of Dreams establishes active secondary market liquidity, a crucial consideration for collectors evaluating edition acquisitions. Works authenticated through Science Ltd and bearing White Cube gallery provenance carry institutional validation that supports long-term value retention.
Acquisition Through Guy Hepner
Guy Hepner, New York, offers comprehensive acquisition services for the complete Veil Spots series, supported by $4,226,125 in documented Hirst transactions and direct authentication protocols through Science Ltd.
Contact our acquisitions team to discuss available works and current market positioning.
About Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst prints for sale at Guy Hepner include works from the Spot Paintings, Butterfly editions, Beautiful prints, and Pharmaceutical series. Damien Hirst art for sale and Damien Hirst original art for sale through our New York gallery are sourced from authenticated secondary market collections. We also advise collectors looking to sell Damien Hirst prints — free valuations available.
Damien Hirst is the defining figure of the Young British Artists movement and one of the most collected living artists in the world. His work spans Natural History sculptures, Spot Paintings, Butterfly Works, Spin Paintings, and pharmaceutical installations ? series that have set auction benchmarks at Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips across four decades. Collections at Tate Modern, MoMA, and the Guggenheim confirm his standing as one of the essential artists of his generation.
His single-artist auction "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" generated $198 million at Sotheby's in 2008, a record that remains one of the most significant events in the contemporary art market. Major works including the Lullaby series of medicine cabinets and the Natural History formaldehyde sculptures have each achieved prices above $10 million, while his Spot Paintings and print editions sustain deep, global secondary market activity across all price points.
Guy Hepner Gallery has deep expertise across Damien Hirst's print editions, Spot Paintings, and Butterfly Works, offering acquisition guidance, market valuations, and direct access to available works. Whether you are building a collection or looking to sell, the gallery provides trusted, confidential support for one of the most actively traded names in contemporary art.