Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst was born in 1965 in Bristol and spent his childhood in Leeds. He moved to London in the eighties and worked in construction before pivoting his career trajectory and enrolling in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at Goldsmiths College. As a student, he first came to the center of public attention when he conceived and curated “Freeze,” an exhibition that later came to define the Young British Artists movement. His work, and that of his friends and classmates, was featured on display for two full months, drawing visitors including Charles Saatchi, Norman Rosenthal, and Nicholas Serota.

Now, 30+ years later, Damien Hirst is the United Kingdom’s wealthiest living artist. His work is collected by celebrities including Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Madonna, Sir Elton John, and David and Victoria Beckham. He demonstrates an unconventional approach to a broad spectrum of artistic mediums, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation. His most groundbreaking works include The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991), a shark in formaldehyde; Mother and Child Divided (1993) a four-part sculpture of a bisected cow and calf; and For the Love of God (2007), a human skull studded with 8,601 diamonds. In addition to his installations and sculptures, Hirst’s Spot paintings and Butterfly paintings have become universally recognized.