“I think a lot of people will say my work is childish or child-like and I think neither of those things is a bad thing […] In the face of the world, we're always children.”

—Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst’s Minnie (Pink Glitter) of 2016 reimagines Disney’s iconic character through the visual language of his Spot Paintings, distilling Minnie Mouse into a self-referential series of bold, flat circles. The composition reduces her instantly recognisable form to its essential elements – black ears, red dress, big bow, and yellow heeled shoes. Set against a sparkling pink glitter background, the work draws on Minnie’s associations with playfulness and a childlike sense of fun and imagination. Though abstracted, the character remains immediately identifiable, demonstrating the enduring power of beloved cultural symbols and their ability to transcend stylistic transformation.

Hirst’s engagement with Mickey and Minnie Mouse began in 2012 when he was commissioned by Disney to create a large-scale household gloss painting on canvas, which was later auctioned to support the children’s charity Kids Company. In making the work, Hirst joined a long tradition of artists – including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Claes Oldenburg – who have explored the iconic Disney characters as pop cultural symbols. While some, like Banksy in Napalm (2006), have used Mickey Mouse to critique consumerism, Hirst instead embraces the character’s joyful, playful nature and universal appeal. For Hirst, the magic of Mickey and Minnie Mouse lies in their timelessness, and he has remarked that his own children watch and enjoy the cartoons just as he did as a boy.

“The thing about Mickey is that even though he’s gone through so many shifts in form and association, he’s timeless.”

—Damien Hirst

The use of glitter enhances the work’s relationship to spectacle and desire – qualities central both to Disney’s brand and to Hirst’s broader practice. The shimmering surface lends a celebratory, almost tactile quality, reinforcing the work’s engagement with childhood nostalgia and the aesthetics of mass culture. Yet, in stripping Minnie Mouse down to his most basic elements, Hirst also plays with the tension between abstraction and recognition, demonstrating the power of minimalism to evoke nostalgia, playfulness, and enduring appeal.