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Damien Hirst - H9 - The Virtues
Damein Hirst H9 The Virtues
H9: The Virtues is a powerful print series by internationally celebrated British artist Damien Hirst, created in 2021 as part of his wider Cherry Blossom project. Drawing inspiration from the Eight Virtues of Bushidō—Justice, Courage, Mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honour, Loyalty, and Self-Control—each edition captures the delicate beauty of cherry blossoms in full bloom, rendered in Hirst’s expressive, abstract style.
This series reflects Hirst’s ongoing interest in themes of life, death, rebirth, and the fleeting nature of beauty. The cherry blossom, a symbol of renewal and impermanence in Japanese culture, becomes a bold visual metaphor throughout the collection. With dynamic brushwork and vibrant colour palettes, each print invites contemplation and emotional response.
The Virtues prints were released as limited editions and have quickly become highly sought after by collectors and contemporary art enthusiasts worldwide. Each print is digitally signed, numbered, and features Hirst’s hallmark fusion of tradition and innovation.
At Lougher Contemporary, we are proud to offer selected works from The Virtues series, providing clients with expert guidance and support in acquiring Damien Hirst’s most engaging and culturally significant prints to date.
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Meaning
Damien Hirst’s H9: The Virtues series is among his most celebrated print collections, paying homage to both Japanese philosophy and deeply personal memories. Inspired by the cherry blossom tree, these works reflect a long-standing fascination that dates back to Hirst’s early childhood. As a young boy, he vividly recalls watching his mother paint a blossoming cherry tree—a moment that left a lasting impression and sparked a lifelong appreciation for the natural beauty and symbolism of the tree.
For Hirst, the cherry blossom came to symbolise the passing of time. He describes how, as the tree outside his bedroom window in Devon would bloom each spring, it marked the rhythm of the years. "It became like a clock," he notes, associating the tree's cycles with the passage of life itself.
The cherry blossom, a national symbol of Japan, serves as the visual centrepiece for the series. The titles of the eight prints—Justice, Courage, Mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honour, Loyalty, and Control—are drawn from the Bushidō code, a traditional Japanese moral philosophy guiding the samurai way of life. In this way, Hirst blends personal memory with broader cultural reference, giving the work a dual resonance that feels both intimate and universal.
With H9: The Virtues, Hirst offers a striking meditation on time, memory, and the enduring power of nature. The prints are widely admired and highly collectable, representing a significant moment in Hirst’s practice. Select works from the series are available now through Lougher Contemporary.
The series draws on Hirst’s fascination with cherry blossom trees—a recurring motif in his work symbolising the fleeting nature of life. The vibrant compositions capture these trees in full bloom, offering a striking mix of serenity and energy.
The title of the series, The Virtues, references the Eight Virtues of Bushidō—a traditional Japanese moral code followed by samurai. Each print in the series is named after one of these principles: Justice, Courage, Mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honour, Loyalty, and Control.
Hirst’s connection to cherry blossoms is deeply personal. He recalls watching his mother paint one when he was just three years old. This early memory, along with the cherry tree outside his childhood window in Devon, continues to shape his emotional response to the subject.
One of the most accessible and cost-effective ways to acquire artwork by Damien Hirst is through Lougher Contemporary. As a leading contemporary art gallery, we offer carefully curated works by Hirst, reflecting strong demand from our global collector base. Selected editions from his most sought-after series, including H9: The Virtues, are available to purchase directly from our website.
We provide a seamless buying experience with transparent pricing, expert advice, and worldwide shipping. Whether you're looking to start your collection or add to an existing portfolio, our team is here to assist you every step of the way.
Browse our available Damien Hirst prints or get in touch to discuss current availability and investment opportunities.
Visually, the prints are rich with colour and detail. Hirst layers delicate pink blossoms over vivid blue skies, capturing the fleeting beauty of the trees in full bloom. On closer inspection, the compositions reveal a meticulous structure of small dots and expressive brushwork—an interplay between spontaneity and control that echoes artistic movements such as Impressionism and Pointillism. This technique also draws a subtle connection to Hirst’s iconic spot paintings, reinforcing his longstanding exploration of repetition, colour, and form.
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