Damien Hirst has created two 'spin' paintings using dials from Panerai, one of his favourite watch brands. "I love Panerai," said Hirst as the paintings were unveiled in Milan at the ' O'Clock time design, design time" exhibition. Discarded Panerai dials sit amidst swirls of household gloss splattered onto the canvas to create a burst of colour and movement recalling the mesmerising patterns of seeds in a sunflower. The new paintings by Hirst are called Beautiful Sunflower Panerai Painting and Beautiful Fractional Sunflower Panerai Painting. They are the result of the collaboration between the Italian watch house Officine Panerai and Damien Hirst who, on several occasions in the past, has included Panerai watches in his works: a Panerai watch is painted on a table next to medicines and a skull in "Skull with Watch" from 2005 and is physically present in the installations "The Tranquility of Solitude (for George Dyer)" (2006), and "Killing Time" (2008). The paintings were premiered at "O'Clock, time design, design time" exhibition at the Milan Triennale that will be on view from 11th October through to 8th January 2012. Hirst explains his attraction to Panerai: "The watches are timeless and I made this spin painting using black Panerai watch faces without hands in the pattern of the seeds in the head of a sunflower, " declared Damian Hirst. "I hope the painting makes you think, we are here for a good time, not a long time." The exhibition "O'Clock, time design, design time" is sponsored by Panerai and looks to explore time, one of the fundamental themes of our culture. The works of 80 artists and designers has been set-up by Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola. Urquiola has also created eight display cases featuring natural environments in which to showcase rare historical Panerai watches. And just to nicely round-up the time/art/design theme, Panerai presented a new watch at the exhibition. The Luminor Marina 1950 3 days 47 mm is inspired by a rare historical model from the early 1940's.
