‘Hymn’ is a 20 foot painted bronze sculpture, that weighs over six tons. The work was originally inspired by an anatomical model belonging to Hirst’s son, Connor, which the artist describes as: “just so accurate, it was like a chemistry set, and I loved it that it was a toy [...] similar to a medical thing, but much happier, friendlier, more colourful and bright.”[1] 

The sculpture is painted in car paint which allows it to retain the appearance of plastic. Though not initially visible, the bronze is an integral conceptual component to the work. As the artist explains: “It’ll decay. So, eventually, what you’ll be left with is this solid bronze man with bits of paint hanging off it. In a way, it’s like what happens to your body. I liked it for that reason.”[2]

Editions of the work have been included in two major surveys of Hirst’s career: his first retrospective, ‘The Agony and the Ecstasy’, at the Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 2004; and ‘Cornucopia’ hosted by the Musée Océanographique, Monaco, 2010.