World famous artist Damian Hirst has gifted a limited print to Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert. The print, which is now the centrepiece of a key worker ‘Rainbow Wall’ in the hospital atrium, also features artwork from NHS Forth Valley staff and people from the local community.

Butterfly Rainbow is made up of bands of coloured butterfly wings, one of the artist’s best-known motifs. It was created in May 2020 and all profits from the sales of Butterfly Rainbow – a staggering £1.5 million pounds – were donated to NHS Charities Together, the organisation that represents and supports the official NHS charities working across the UK

Damian Hirst explained: “I wanted to do something to support the many people who are risking their lives to help those in need during this time of crisis. The rainbow is a sign of hope and I’m so pleased to have released these prints to help fund their brilliant work.”

The semi-permanent exhibition has been curated by Artlink Central for NHS Forth Valley and is designed to show support and gratitude for the care shown by NHS staff during the current pandemic.

Barry Shaw, a porter who works at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, has created a series of drawings that portray key NHS workers alongside famous superheroes. His drawings will be sold and profits donated to charity. Another superhero featured is ‘Larry the Larbert Coo’ by Denise Liddell, an NHS Forth Valley Patient Flow Call Handler, who designs and draws her own quirky versions of ‘heelan coos’ and during lockdown decided to dedicate one to the NHS. Other contributors include local schoolchildren who’ve submitted paintings and drawings created during the pandemic.

Artlink Central Director, Kevin Harrison, said: “Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic the Arts have been used as a way of recognising and thanking our NHS and other key workers. People have used their creativity to bolster moods and offer a collective thank you to our vital health workers like never before. This ‘Rainbow Wall’ celebrates that work, whether by young children or one of the most established artists in the country like Damian Hirst.”

For more information about the NHS Forth Valley arts programme contact: info@artlinkcentral.org

Photo Caption: Silvia Sinibaldi, Visual Arts Assistant Curator with Artlink Central, hangs the Damian Hirst print on the Rainbow Wall at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.