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Damien Hirst — French Nuclear Test, Licorne
Damien Hirst

French Nuclear Test, Licorne

2019

Damien Hirst's 'French Nuclear Test, Licorne' is a striking contribution to the Triple Trouble collaboration, drawing on his lifelong fascination with mortality, power, and the sublime forces beyond human control. Rendered in oil on canvas, the work employs Hirst's meticulous painterly technique to evoke the terrifying beauty of nuclear detonation — the 'Licorne' test being one of France's most visually dramatic atmospheric nuclear experiments, conducted in 1970. The piece channels the visual language of Hirst's spot and spin paintings, where repeated or explosive forms suggest both scientific order and catastrophic chaos simultaneously. Thematically, it places mankind's most destructive ingenuity under an aesthetic lens, forcing the viewer to confront the seduction of destruction — a hallmark of Hirst's provocative conceptual practice. Within the broader collaboration, the work anchors the trio's shared interest in cultural disruption, framing nuclear spectacle as a kind of ultimate 'pop' moment frozen in paint.

Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions

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About this work

Damien Hirst, French Nuclear Test, Licorne, 2019

Damien Hirst's 'French Nuclear Test, Licorne' is a striking contribution to the Triple Trouble collaboration, drawing on his lifelong fascination with mortality, power, and the sublime forces beyond human control. Rendered in oil on canvas, the work employs Hirst's meticulous painterly technique to evoke the terrifying beauty of nuclear detonation — the 'Licorne' test being one of France's most visually dramatic atmospheric nuclear experiments, conducted in 1970. The piece channels the visual language of Hirst's spot and spin paintings, where repeated or explosive forms suggest both scientific order and catastrophic chaos simultaneously. Thematically, it places mankind's most destructive ingenuity under an aesthetic lens, forcing the viewer to confront the seduction of destruction — a hallmark of Hirst's provocative conceptual practice. Within the broader collaboration, the work anchors the trio's shared interest in cultural disruption, framing nuclear spectacle as a kind of ultimate 'pop' moment frozen in paint.

Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
365.8 x 244 cm
Year
2019
Seen at
HENI, London, United Kingdom

Related themes

Dark Colors, Provocative Mood, Abstract Style, Political Statement, British Artist, Nature Subject, Modern Era, Oil Painting, Contemporary Art, Nuclear Theme

More works by Damien Hirst

Collected by

Alex Capecelatro, Sarah Greenspan, Hamilton Selway Gallery, Brittany Laques