Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst
b. 1965, Bristol, UK | Lives and works in London and Gloucestershire

Damien Hirst is one of the most influential and controversial artists of the contemporary era, known for his provocative exploration of life, death, beauty, science, and religion. Emerging as the leading figure of the Young British Artists (YBAs) in the late 1980s, Hirst redefined the boundaries of conceptual and installation art, pushing shock, spectacle, and philosophical inquiry to the forefront of global art discourse.

He first garnered public attention with "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" (1991), a preserved tiger shark suspended in formaldehyde—a defining work that has since become an icon of contemporary art. Over his prolific career, Hirst has produced a wide-ranging body of work, including pharmaceutical installations, spot paintings, butterfly wings, spin art, medical cabinets, and diamond-encrusted skulls.

Hirst studied at Goldsmiths College in London and co-curated the groundbreaking 1988 exhibition Freeze, which launched the YBA movement. He won the Turner Prize in 1995 and has exhibited at major institutions including the Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum, Fondation Cartier, and the Palazzo Grassi. In 2008, he made history by bypassing galleries and selling new work directly at auction, a move that challenged the traditional art market and solidified his reputation as both a boundary-pusher and savvy provocateur.

Both admired and criticized, Hirst’s work continues to provoke debate, raising questions about mortality, consumerism, and what it means for art to hold meaning in a media-saturated world.