With his iconic status, universal appeal and ability to emotionally connect with generations of people all over the world, Mickey Mouse has inspired many world-renowned artists, including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Oldenburg.
British artist Damien Hirst is the latest to follow in these famous footsteps with his very own interpretation of Disney’s best-loved character. Damien Hirst was invited by Disney to create a unique piece of art that combines the fun and energy of Mickey Mouse with Hirst’s own unique style.
The artist took inspiration from Mickey’s round shapes and created “Mickey”, household gloss on canvas, 1829 x 1054 millimetres.
“Mickey” will be auctioned in aid of the charity Kids Company as part of the Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction, which will take place at Christie’s headquarters (8 King Street, St. James’s, London) on Thursday 13 February at 7pm. “Mickey” will be on view to the public as part of the auction’s pre-sale exhibition from the 8 until 13 February 2014.
Kids Company is a charity which Hirst has long supported. Based in London and Bristol and established in 1996, it provides practical, emotional and educational support to vulnerable inner-city children and young people.
About The Walt Disney Company in Europe, Middle East and Africa The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of around $45billion in its last fiscal year (FY13). The Walt Disney Company has been at the forefront of family entertainment in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for 80 years and is dedicated to creating innovative, entertainment experiences for children and families. Disney has a presence in 25 countries and employs more than 6,000 people (and 14,500 employees in Disneyland Paris) in 42 offices, and London (UK) is the regional headquarters. Disney is experienced in numerous ways across the region including in cinemas, on TV screens with Disney-branded channels as well as through non branded content such as the award-winning series “Revenge”, through a wide range of consumer products that are sold at mass market retailers and in numerous Disney Stores across the region, and at Disneyland Paris, which opened in 1992 and is Europe’s #1 tourist destination.
About Damien Hirst Damien Hirst was born in 1965 in Bristol and grew up in Leeds. In 1984 he moved to London, where he worked in construction before studying for a BA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths college from 1986 to 1989. Whilst in his second year at Goldsmiths, Hirst conceived and curated ‘Freeze’, a group exhibition that included both his own work and that of his fellow students. The exhibition is commonly acknowledged to have been the launching point not only for Hirst, but for a generation of British artists. For its final phase he painted two series of coloured spots on to the warehouse walls. Hirst describes the spot paintings as a means of “pinning down the joy of colour”, and explains they provided a solution to all the problems he’d previously had with colour. It has become one of the artist’s most prolific and recognisable series, and in January 2012 the works were exhibited in a show of unprecedented scale across 11 Gagosian Gallery locations worldwide. He was awarded the Turner Prize in 1995. Since 1987, over 80 solo Damien Hirst exhibitions have taken place worldwide and his work has been included in over 260 group shows. His contribution to British art over the last two and a half decades was recognised in 2012 with a major retrospective of his work staged at Tate Modern. Hirst lives and works in London, Gloucestershire and Devon.
About Kids Company Kids Company was founded by Camila Batmanghelidjh in 1996. Kids Company provides practical, emotional and educational support to vulnerable inner-city children and young people. Its services reach 36,000 children across London and Bristol, including the most deprived and at risk whose parents are unable to care for them due to their own practical or emotional challenges. The charity provides a safe, caring, family environment where support is tailored to the needs of each individual. Their services and support empower children who have experienced enormous challenges to lead positive and fulfilling lives. In 2007 Kids Company was awarded the Liberty and JUSTICE Human Rights Award. In 2010 they were selected as a ‘Child Poverty Champion’ by the End Child Poverty project for their success in enabling children to achieve their full potential. Registered Charity Number: 1068298 www.kidsco.org.uk