Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst
Hirst in 2021
Born
Damien Steven Brennan

(1965-06-07) 7 June 1965 (age 59)
Bristol, England
Education
Known for
Notable work
MovementYoung British Artists
AwardsTurner Prize
Patron(s)Charles Saatchi
Damien Hirst's voice
Recorded May 2013 from the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs
Websitedamienhirst.com

Damien Steven Hirst (/hɜːrst/; né Brennan; born 7 June 1965) is an English artist and art collector.[1] He is one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s.[2][3] He is reportedly the United Kingdom's richest living artist, with his wealth estimated at US$384 million in the 2020 Sunday Times Rich List.[4][5][6] During the 1990s his career was closely linked with the collector Charles Saatchi, but increasing frictions came to a head in 2003 and the relationship ended.[7]

Death is a central theme in Hirst's works.[8][9] He became famous for a series of artworks in which dead animals (including a shark, a sheep, and a cow) are preserved, sometimes having been dissected, in formaldehyde. The best-known of these was The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, a 14-foot (4.3 m) tiger shark immersed in formaldehyde in a clear display case.

In September 2008, Hirst made an unprecedented move for a living artist[10] by selling a complete show, Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, at Sotheby's by auction and bypassing his long-standing galleries.[11] The auction raised £111 million ($198 million), breaking the record for a one-artist auction[12] as well as Hirst's own record with £10.3 million for The Golden Calf, an animal with 18-carat gold horns and hooves, preserved in formaldehyde.[11]

Since 1999, Hirst's works have been challenged and contested as plagiarised 16 times. In one instance, after his sculpture Hymn was found to be closely based on a child's toy, legal proceedings led to an out-of-court settlement.[13]

  1. ^ Nicholson, Octavia. "Hirst, Damien (Steven)", Oxford Art Online (subscription). Retrieved 9 November 2008.
  2. ^ "Glossary: Young British Artists (YBA)", Tate Etc.. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  3. ^ "Hirst generation missing from Turner prize 2000 shortlist", The Guardian, 14 June 2000. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Damien Hirst Is Still the UK's Richest Artist—With a Net Worth of $387 Million, According to the Sunday Times's 'Rich List'". artnet News. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  5. ^ Richard Brooks, "It's the fame I crave, says Damien Hirst", The Times, 28 March 2010
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference insanity was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference buysback was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Artworks | National Galleries of Scotland". www.nationalgalleries.org. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  9. ^ Brooks, Richard. "Damien Hirst's earliest painting goes on sale", The Sunday Times, 6 April 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  10. ^ Barker, Godfrey; Jury, Louise."Even his fag ends sell as Hirst art auction hits £100 million", London Evening Standard, 16 September 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference akbar1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference parsons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Dyer, Clare. "Hirst pays up for Hymn that wasn't his", The Guardian, 19 May 2000. Retrieved 15 September 2010.