Damien Hirst donated his painting to the Cradles of Hope Programme implemented in Ukraine by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation

press release (pdf)

The £300 000 proceeds from selling the "Dark Days" by Damien Hirst will be handed over to the Cradles of Hope, a programme developed by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and aimed at providing aid to newborns in Ukraine. The work of art created in 2008 and donated by the renowned British artist to the Foundation was auctioned at the Sotheby's on 5 February.

Damien Hirst: "I'm really delighted with the auction result, it really is great that people are still buying paintings and in these troubled times its good to still be able to give to worthy causes like "Cradle of hope" that help to reduce the level of infant mortality in the Ukraine. It's easier to be philanthropic when times are good but I think, contrary to what a lot of people believe, that it's even more important to be philanthropic in a deepening financial crisis."

Victor Pinchuk: "Damien himself has chosen the programme he'd like to take part in. And I'm happy that we share the views on the philanthropic priorities and things of paramount importance. The right of a little human being to live - is something that is worth fighting for. And now we fight hand in hand. So in this case, "art saves the world" in its literal meaning."

In 2007 Damien Hirst participated in the Reflections exhibition at the PinchukArtCentre (Kyiv, Ukraine), and in 2008 joined the "Time to be together" action carried out during Paul McCartney's "Independence concert" organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in June 2008 in Kyiv.

Editors note

"Cradles of Hope" is a programme of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation on setting up specialized Neonatal Centres throughout Ukraine. Implementing the program the Victor Pinchuk Foundation pursues two major objectives: reducing infant mortality rate in the country and improving quality of life of the saved children; facilitating the State in transition to the international registration standards of newborns. In order to accomplish these tasks the Foundation makes exerts efforts to arrange necessary complex of medical services aimed at providing aid to newborns.

More info on the programme: http://pinchukfund.org/en/projects/health/cradles/

Damien Hirst

Born in Bristol in 1965, Damien Hirst grew up in Leeds and studied at Goldsmiths College, London. Most notable amongst the exhibitions he curated whilst at college was Freeze, in 1988, in which he exhibited his work and that of his contemporaries. The exhibition is widely believed to have been the starting point of the Young British Artists' careers, and a defining moment in kick-starting cutting edge British contemporary art.

Hirst's body of work confronts the scientific, philosophical and religious aspects of human existence and includes sculpture, painting and printmaking. He has exhibited widely and was awarded the Turner Prize in 1995 for ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living'. In 2004, Hirst collaborated with Sarah Lucas and Angus Fairhurst to exhibit recent works at Tate Britain, under the title In-a-Gadda-da-Vida. In 2006, works from the artist's murderme collection were exhibited at the Serpentine gallery, London: ‘In the darkest hour there may be light. ‘

Hirst's work can be found in many important collections worldwide, including Tate, London, UK; British Council, UK; MoMA, New York, USA; Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC, USA; National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK; Broad Art Foundation; Centraal Museum, Utrecht, Netherlands; Neue Galerie Graz, Austria and State Museum of Berlin, Germany.

The Victor Pinchuk Foundation (pinchukfund.org)

Established in 2006 by a businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation is one of the largest Ukrainian private philanthropic organisations. The Foundation develops and implements social projects aimed at modernising Ukraine and nurturing a new generation of Ukrainian leaders.

The Foundation's priority fields of activities are health care, education, culture, human rights, Ukraine's global integration and local communities' development.

Among the largest projects of the Foundation are: the "Cradles of Hope" programme for opening neonatal health care centres throughout Ukraine, student scholarship programme "Zavtra.UA", the PinchukArtCentre contemporary art institution, international network YES (Yalta European Strategy) to support Ukraine's aspirations for European integration.

The Victor Pinchuk Foundation is a member of European Fund Centre and Ukrainian Grant makers Forum and partner of the Yalta European Strategy (YES). The Foundation cooperates with Clinton's Global Initiative and other non-governmental organisations.

DARK DAYS
Damien Hirst, 2008
Measurements:
framed: 252 by 254 by 27cm
DESCRIPTION
household gloss, butterflies and manufactured diamonds on canvas.

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