Giclée print on Cotton Smooth Rag

Hand-signed and numbered on the front

56.25 x 44 in

143 x 112 cm

Ed of 531

Damien Hirst’s Civilisation Explained, H17-3 (2024) brings together the vitality of nature and the constructed order of human society in a dazzling, almost theatrical composition. A pathway leads through blooming fields of tulips and cherry blossoms toward a horizon dominated by an urban skyline, punctuated by spires, rooftops, and towers. Overhead, a shower of vibrant paint splatters and drips cascades down, uniting the natural and architectural worlds in a kaleidoscopic vision. The work suggests that civilisation itself is not separate from nature, but rather a continuation of it - fragile, exuberant, and transient. Both celebratory and contemplative, Hirst’s painting is a meditation on progress, beauty, and the intertwined fate of humanity and the environment.