About Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst (b. 1965) is Britain’s most famous living artist and the provocative enfant terrible of the Young British Artists (YBAs). A conceptual artist, painter, printmaker, and sculptor, he is renowned for artworks that confront themes of mortality, beauty, science, medicine, and technology. Often deliberately provocative, Hirst’s art has sparked debate and controversy while reshaping the public’s understanding of contemporary art. By mastering the art of self-promotion, he transformed the traditional image of the romantic artist into that of a global entrepreneur, redefining the relationship between creativity and commerce.

Alongside fellow YBAs Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, and Liam Gillick, Damien Hirst rose to prominence in the late 1980s. While studying at Goldsmiths College in London, he curated the groundbreaking Freeze exhibition in 1988, a formative moment in British contemporary art. The show attracted the attention of collector Charles Saatchi, who became Hirst’s early patron. Inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s concept of the readymade, Hirst created some of his most controversial works by placing dead animals in formaldehyde. In 1995, he won the Turner Prize with the striking installation Mother and Child (Divided), a bisected cow and calf. His iconic preserved shark, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991), became the centerpiece of Saatchi’s landmark exhibition Sensation at the Royal Academy in 1997.

Beyond large-scale installations, Damien Hirst is also celebrated for his paintings and limited edition prints. His most recognized series include the vibrant Spot Paintings and the ethereal Butterfly Prints, both of which explore repetition, variation, and the cycle of life. Produced in highly collectible limited editions, these prints reflect Hirst’s ongoing engagement with themes of order, chance, and beauty. Today, Damien Hirst remains one of the most influential and controversial figures in contemporary art, with paintings, sculptures, and prints that continue to inspire debate and captivate collectors worldwide.

Notable exhibitions

Damien Hirst’s art has been the subject of some of the most high-profile exhibitions in contemporary art. His breakthrough came with Freeze (1988), the student-curated show that launched the Young British Artists and brought him to public attention. In 1997, his preserved shark became the centerpiece of Sensation at the Royal Academy in London, one of the most influential and controversial exhibitions of the decade.

In 2012, Tate Modern hosted Damien Hirst, a major retrospective that traced his career from early installations to his spot paintings and butterfly works, drawing record audiences. The following year, the retrospective traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, further cementing his international reputation.

More recently, Hirst staged the ambitious Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable (2017) across both Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana in Venice, blending myth, spectacle, and contemporary sculpture on an unprecedented scale. His works have also been featured at leading institutions worldwide, including the Whitechapel Gallery, the Gagosian galleries, and the Fondation Cartier in Paris.