Damien Hirst facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Damien Hirst
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Hirst in 2021
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Damien Steven Brennan
7 June 1965 Bristol, England
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Notable work
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| Movement | Young British Artists |
| Awards | Turner Prize |
| Patron(s) | Charles Saatchi |
Damien Steven Hirst (born 7 June 1965) is a famous English artist and art collector. He was a key member of the Young British Artists (YBAs) group. This group became very well-known in the UK art world during the 1990s. Damien Hirst is thought to be the richest living artist in the United Kingdom. In 2020, his wealth was estimated to be around US$384 million. For a long time in the 1990s, his art career was closely connected with art collector Charles Saatchi. However, their working relationship ended in 2003.
A main idea in Hirst's art is the theme of life and death. He became famous for creating artworks where dead animals, like a shark, a sheep, or a cow, are kept in clear tanks filled with a liquid called formaldehyde. One of his most famous pieces is The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. This artwork shows a 14-foot tiger shark floating in formaldehyde inside a clear display case.
In September 2008, Hirst did something unusual for a living artist. He sold a whole art show, called Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, directly at an auction at Sotheby's. This meant he did not use his usual art galleries. The auction made £111 million ($198 million). This broke the record for an auction by a single artist. One artwork, The Golden Calf, sold for £10.3 million. It was a calf with 18-carat gold horns and hooves, also preserved in formaldehyde.
Becoming an Artist: Early Life and Training
Damien Hirst was born in Bristol and grew up in Leeds, England. His mother worked for the Citizens Advice Bureau. He never met his father. His mother married his stepfather when Damien was two, but they divorced ten years later.
His mother found it hard to control him when he was young. She did not like his rebellious style. However, she did encourage his interest in drawing. Art was the only school subject he did well in.
His art teacher at Allerton Grange School helped him get into a special art program. He later attended Jacob Kramer College. After working on building sites in London for two years, he studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths College from 1986 to 1989. While he was a student, Hirst worked at a mortuary. This experience greatly influenced the themes and materials he used in his later art.
Starting Out: Student and Warehouse Shows
In July 1988, while still at Goldsmiths College, Hirst organized an art show called Freeze. It took place in an old building in London's Docklands. He got money from a development company to help with the show. Important art figures like Charles Saatchi visited the exhibition. Hirst's own art in the show included cardboard boxes painted with household paint.
After college, Hirst and his friend Carl Freedman organized two more art shows in 1990. These were called Modern Medicine and Gambler. They were held in an old biscuit factory in Bermondsey, London. Charles Saatchi visited the second show. He was very impressed by Hirst's first big artwork using animals, called A Thousand Years. This piece had a large glass case with maggots and flies feeding on a rotting cow's head. Saatchi bought this artwork.
Damien Hirst's Art Career
1991–1994: First Exhibitions and Recognition
Hirst's first solo art show, In and Out of Love, happened in 1991 in an empty shop in London. Around this time, he met art dealer Jay Jopling, who began to represent him.
In 1991, Charles Saatchi offered to pay for any artwork Hirst wanted to create. This led to Hirst's famous shark artwork, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. It was shown in 1992 at the first Young British Artists exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. The shark artwork sold for £50,000. The shark itself had been caught by a fisherman in Australia and cost £6,000. Because of this show, Hirst was nominated for the Turner Prize that year.
In 1993, Hirst showed his work internationally at the Venice Biennale. His piece was called Mother and Child Divided. It featured a cow and a calf cut into sections and displayed in separate glass cases. In 1994, he organized the show Some Went Mad, Some Ran Away at the Serpentine Gallery in London. Here, he showed Away from the Flock, which was a sheep in a tank of formaldehyde. An artist once poured black ink into the tank, changing the artwork.
1995–1999: Winning Awards and New Ventures
In 1995, Damien Hirst won the prestigious Turner Prize. He had solo shows in cities like Seoul, London, and Salzburg. He also directed a music video for the band Blur for their song Country House.
In 1997, his book about his art and life, I Want To Spend the Rest of My Life Everywhere, with Everyone, One to One, Always, Forever, Now, was published. He also formed a band called Fat Les with Alex James from Blur and actor Keith Allen. They had a hit song called Vindaloo. Hirst also designed a simple color pattern for the Beagle 2 probe, which was meant to land on Mars.
2000–2004: Major Shows and Changes
In 2000, Hirst's sculpture Hymn was a main feature at the Ant Noises show at the Saatchi Gallery. This sculpture was a large version of a child's anatomy toy. Later, Hirst faced claims that this sculpture copied the toy's design. He made a payment to charities and the toy's designer to settle the issue.
In September 2000, a large Hirst show called Damien Hirst: Models, Methods, Approaches, Assumptions, Results and Findings opened in New York. It attracted 100,000 visitors and all the artworks were sold.
In 2003, the Saatchi Gallery opened in a new location with a show that included many of Hirst's past works. This caused some tension between Hirst and Charles Saatchi. Hirst felt Saatchi was too focused on money and tried to control art values.
In September 2003, Hirst had an exhibition called Romance in the Age of Uncertainty at Jay Jopling's White Cube gallery in London. This show reportedly earned him £11 million. One sculpture, Charity, was sold for £1.5 million. It was a 22-foot, 6-ton sculpture based on a charity model of a girl with leg braces holding a collection box. In Hirst's version, the box was broken and empty.
In December 2004, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (the shark artwork) was sold by Saatchi to American collector Steve Cohen for $8 million. Cohen later donated the artwork to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
2005–2009: New Artworks and Records
In March 2005, Hirst showed 30 paintings at the Gagosian Gallery in New York. These paintings took 3.5 years to complete and were often finished by Hirst after his assistants started them. In 2005, Hirst also started an art book publishing company called Other Criteria.
In February 2006, he had a big show in Mexico called The Death of God, Towards a Better Understanding of Life without God aboard The Ship of Fools. This was his first show in Latin America.
In June 2007, Hirst's artwork Lullaby Spring set a world record for the most expensive artwork by a living artist. It was a 3-meter-wide steel cabinet with 6,136 pills, which sold for $19.2 million.
Also in June 2007, his exhibition Beyond Belief opened at the White Cube gallery in London. The main artwork was For the Love of God. This was a human skull made from platinum and covered with 8,601 diamonds. It was valued at £50 million ($100 million). It was later sold to a group that included Hirst himself.
In November 2008, the diamond skull was shown at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The museum director said it helped make the museum seem more modern.
In October 2009, Hirst showed paintings he had made himself. This exhibition, called No Love Lost, was at the Wallace Collection in London.
2010–2014: Collaborations and New Styles
In 2011, Damien Hirst designed the cover for the Red Hot Chili Peppers album I'm with You.
Hirst's design of the British Union Flag was the center of the arena for the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London. In January 2013, Hirst designed the Brit Awards statue, using his bright, modern art style. In October 2014, Hirst showed large sculptures of capsules, pills, and medicines at the Paul Stolper Gallery.
2015–Present: Recent Exhibitions and Projects
In 2017, Hirst had a solo exhibition called Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable in Venice. This show pretended to display ancient treasures from a sunken Greek ship. The pieces looked like old items but also included modern characters, covered in shells and corals.
From July 2021 to January 2022, Hirst's Cherry Blossoms series was shown at the Foundation Cartier in Paris. The exhibition then moved to the National Art Center in Tokyo in 2022. This was Hirst's first major solo exhibition in Japan.
In March 2024, there were reports that some of Hirst's formaldehyde animal artworks, which were dated to the 1990s, were actually made in 2017. Hirst's company explained that the dates on these works referred to when the idea for the artwork was first thought of, not when it was physically created.
Understanding The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living
This artwork shows a large tiger shark floating in formaldehyde. The tank makes it look like the shark is cut into three pieces. Hirst created this work in 1991. Over time, the formaldehyde has caused the shark's body to show signs of decay. Hirst says that the formaldehyde around the shark represents the process of death and decay.
Some art critics have different opinions about this artwork. Some think its simple style and focus on death are too plain. Others believe that sharks have always been seen as amazing and powerful creatures. They argue that Hirst's shark makes us think about how special our thoughts and minds are.
Beautiful Inside My Head Forever Auction
Beautiful Inside My Head Forever was a two-day auction of Hirst's new artworks held at Sotheby's in London on September 15 and 16, 2008. It was unusual because Hirst sold his art directly to the public, without using art galleries.
Hirst's business advisor, Frank Dunphy, came up with the idea for the auction. Hirst defended the idea, saying he was not just interested in money. He believed it was important for artists to earn money for their work. He said, "It's important to make sure that the art takes precedence over the money."
The sale made £111 million ($198 million) from 218 items. This was much more than expected and broke the record for a single artist's auction at Sotheby's. This happened even as financial markets around the world were struggling.
Damien Hirst's Art Collection
In November 2006, Hirst organized an exhibition called In the darkest hour there may be light at the Serpentine Gallery in London. This was the first time a small part of his own art collection was shown to the public. His collection, known as the 'murderme collection', includes works by many famous artists like Francis Bacon, Jeff Koons, Tracey Emin, and Andy Warhol.
Hirst is currently restoring a large old house called Toddington Manor. He plans to eventually display his entire art collection there. In 2007, Hirst donated some of his own artworks to the Tate gallery, including The Acquired Inability to Escape and Mother and Child Divided.
In March 2012, Hirst shared his plans to open a gallery in Vauxhall, London, specifically to show his personal collection. This gallery, called the Newport Street Gallery, opened in October 2015. It is located in a former theater workshop.
Awards and Recognition
Hirst was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1992 for his artwork in the first Young British Artists exhibition. He won the Turner Prize in 1995. He was also asked to represent the UK at the Venice Biennale in 1999 but declined.
In 2012, Hirst was chosen by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of the Beatles' album cover for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. This celebrated important British cultural figures.
Critical Views on Hirst's Art
Positive Feedback
Many people have praised Hirst for making art more popular and exciting. He has helped bring attention to British art and create a new image for "Cool Britannia." In the mid-1990s, a government official called him "a pioneer of the British art movement." Even sheep farmers were happy that his art made people more interested in British lamb.
Janet Street-Porter admired his original ideas, which brought art to new audiences. Andres Serrano, another artist known for surprising artworks, believes Hirst is very smart. He said, "First you get the attention... I think it will stand the test of time." Sir Nicholas Serota, a museum director, noted that Hirst is a "showman" and that it's hard to be an artist with so much public attention.
Tracey Emin, another famous artist, said Hirst "developed a whole new way of making art." Even Charles Saatchi, despite their past disagreements, still supports Hirst, calling him a genius.
Negative Feedback
Hirst's work has also faced strong criticism. Brian Sewell, an art critic, said, "I don't think of it as art... It is no more interesting than a stuffed pike over a pub door."
The Stuckist art group, formed in 1999, strongly opposes Hirst's art. They argued that if Hirst's shark is great art, then a similar shark displayed earlier by Eddie Saunders should also be considered great art. They even suggested Hirst might have gotten the idea from Saunders' shop display.
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In a 2008 documentary, art critic Robert Hughes called Hirst's work "tacky" and "absurd." He said Hirst's shark in formaldehyde was "the world's most over-rated marine organism." Hughes believed Hirst acted more like a commercial brand, suggesting that for Hirst, the financial value of art was the most important thing.
Hirst's 2009 painting show, No Love Lost, received very negative reviews. Critics called his paintings "derivative, weak and boring" and "shockingly bad." A 2012 exhibition of his paintings also received similar comments.
Julian Spalding, a British art critic, has said that Hirst's works are not truly art. He believes that when people realize this, the value of Hirst's art will drop.
Hirst's art has also been criticized in newspapers. One headline read: "For 1,000 years art has been one of our great civilising forces. Today, pickled sheep and soiled beds threaten to make barbarians of us all."
Claims of Copying Ideas
Since 1999, Hirst's artworks have faced claims of copying ideas from others 16 times. For example, his sculpture Hymn was found to be very similar to a child's toy. This led to a legal agreement where Hirst paid money to charities.
In 2006, a graphic artist named Robert Dixon claimed that Hirst's print Valium looked very much like one of his own designs. Hirst's team said their design came from a book, not realizing Dixon's design was published there.
In 2007, artist John LeKay, who was friends with Hirst, said he gave Hirst ideas for several artworks. LeKay mentioned that Hirst's Mother and Child, Divided (the cow and calf cut in half) was similar to a model in a science catalog he had shown Hirst. LeKay also suggested that Hirst's diamond skull, For the Love of God, was inspired by his own work with crystal skulls from 1993.
In 2010, art critic Charles Thomson listed 15 cases where he believed Hirst copied others' work. These included similarities between Hirst's anatomy models and those by John LeKay, and Hirst's cabinets with bottles and shelves being similar to Joseph Cornell's work. Thomson also pointed out that Hirst's butterfly wing artworks were similar to those made by Lori Precious years earlier.
In May 2017, Hirst was accused of copying Yoruba art from Ilé-Ifẹ̀ in his work Golden Heads (Female). This artwork was shown in his exhibition Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable in Venice. Critics said the artwork did not properly acknowledge its inspiration.
In 2022, artist and writer Joe Machine accused Hirst of copying his cherry blossom paintings. This was the 16th time Hirst faced such an accusation.
Hirst's Business Ventures
How Hirst's Art is Made
Even though Hirst was involved in making his early artworks, he has always used assistants. Today, because he creates so many artworks, he has a "factory" setup. This has led to discussions about whether the art is truly "authentic" if Hirst doesn't make every part himself.
Hirst has said he only painted five of his famous spot paintings himself. He believes the true creative act is having the idea, not necessarily making the artwork by hand. He sees himself as the artist because he comes up with the original concept. He said, "Art goes on in your head... Art comes from everywhere. It's your response to your surroundings."
Hirst also offers to repair his artworks for clients after they buy them. For example, he offered this service for the suspended shark artwork bought by Steven A. Cohen.
Restaurants
Hirst used to be a partner in a restaurant called Quo Vadis. His most famous restaurant was Pharmacy in London, which closed in 2004. Although he was an owner, he only leased his artworks to the restaurant. When it closed, he took his art back and sold it at a Sotheby's auction, earning over £11 million.
Hirst is also a co-owner of a seafood restaurant called 11 The Quay in Ilfracombe, England. In 2016, he designed the inside of his new restaurant, Pharmacy 2, located at the Newport Street Gallery in Vauxhall, London.
Net Worth
Art sold at Hirst's 2008 auction, Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, made US$198 million. This is believed to be the largest amount ever raised by a living artist at an auction. Hirst is considered the richest living artist. In 2009, he was listed as one of Britain's wealthiest individuals with a net worth of £235 million. In 2010, his wealth was valued at £215 million, making him Britain's wealthiest artist.
Works and Projects
Artworks
His works include:
- Pharmacy (1992), a life-size copy of a chemist's shop.
- Away from the Flock (1994), a dead sheep in a glass tank of formaldehyde.
- Beautiful Axe, Slash, Gosh Painting (1999), a gloss household paint on canvas.
- The Virgin Mother, a huge sculpture of a pregnant woman. Parts of one side are removed to show the fetus, muscles, and skull inside. This artwork was bought by Aby Rosen and displayed in New York City.
- Painting-By-Numbers (2001), a do-it-yourself painting kit to make a 'dot' painting.
- The Dream (2008), a fake unicorn in a tank of formaldehyde.
- Spin Drawing for Women's Equality (2016), sold at an auction to raise money for the Women's Equality Party.
- The Empathy Suite (2019), a large hotel suite in Las Vegas designed by Hirst and filled with his art.
- Butterfly Rainbow (2020).
Personal Life
From 1992 to 2012, Hirst lived with his girlfriend, Maia Norman. They have three sons, born in 1995, 2000, and 2005. Hirst and Norman were never married.
Since becoming a father, Hirst has spent most of his time at his farmhouse in Combe Martin in Devon. He is friends with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Charitable Work
Hirst supports Survival International, an organization that helps indigenous people. In September 2008, he donated his artwork Beautiful Love Survival to an auction to raise money for this group. He also wrote for the book We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples in 2009, which supports indigenous cultures.
In 2016, he donated artworks for a secret auction called Art on a Postcard. This charity helps fight Hepatitis C.
NFTs and The Currency
In July 2021, Hirst announced his first NFT (Non-Fungible Token) project, called The Currency. It included 10,000 unique hand-painted dot artworks on paper. Each physical artwork had a matching digital NFT. Two months later, the project made $25 million.
Hirst told buyers to choose either the physical artwork or the NFT. If they chose the NFT, the physical artwork would be destroyed. The first 1,000 artworks were burned on October 11, 2022. Hirst streamed the burning live online. He plans to burn thousands more physical artworks so they only exist as NFTs. It is estimated that the burned artworks are worth almost £10 million.
See also
In Spanish: Damien Hirst para niños
- Charles Saatchi
- Stuckist
- John LeKay
- Young British Artists
