Aminobenzoyl Hydrazide, 2008

"Aminobenzoyl Hydrazide" is a household gloss on canvas painting created by Damien Hirst in 2008. The artwork is signed, titled and dated 'Damien Hirst "Aminobenzoyl Hydrazide" 2008' on verso. Further signed along the stretcher and stamped and labeled by Science. The artwork ships framed in a contemporary white frame and has a framed size of 86.5 x 91".

Damien Hirst (b. 1965) is one of the most influential figures to emerge from the Young British Artists in late twentieth century London. Throughout his career, he has fused conceptual inquiry with visual immediacy, exploring mortality, science, belief, and the aesthetics of display. From vitrines and medicine cabinets to monumental installations, Hirst has consistently examined systems that promise order and certainty.

Among his most enduring bodies of work are the Spot Paintings, begun in 1986 and developed over decades into a rigorous exploration of color, repetition, and seriality. “Aminobenzoyl Hydrazide, 2008” belongs to this celebrated series and is documented in “The Complete Spot Paintings 1986–2011.” The title, like others in the series, is drawn from pharmaceutical compounds listed in scientific reference manuals, reinforcing Hirst’s parallel between artistic production and laboratory precision.

Executed in household gloss on canvas and measuring 62 by 86 inches, the work presents a grid of evenly spaced, multicolored circles set against a pristine white ground. Sixteen vertical rows intersect with twenty-two horizontal rows, forming a disciplined matrix of uniform dots. Each circle is identical in size yet distinct in hue, producing a vibrant chromatic field within a strictly regulated structure.

The Spot Paintings are not merely decorative patterns. Hirst conceived them as an “endless series,” mirroring the systematic methodologies of pharmaceutical research. By eliminating visible brushwork and emphasizing mechanical clarity, he sought to remove overt traces of the artist’s hand. At the same time, the interplay of color generates optical vitality and subtle variation. The tension between industrial neutrality and sensory exuberance lies at the heart of their impact.

The series has achieved iconic status within contemporary art, functioning as a signature motif comparable to Warhol’s soup cans or Judd’s stacks. In “Aminobenzoyl Hydrazide,” repetition becomes both meditation and critique, reflecting a culture invested in classification, technology, and the promise of perfect systems. Through disciplined structure and radiant color, the painting embodies Hirst’s enduring inquiry into how beauty, belief, and order intersect in the modern imagination.