Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst, born in Bristol, England, is a prominent and provocative British artist known for his conceptual and installation art. He rose to fame in the late 1980s and 1990s as a leading figure among the Young British Artists (YBAs), a group that redefined contemporary art in the UK.

Hirst gained early attention while still a student at Goldsmiths College, where he curated the influential 1988 exhibition Freeze. His most iconic works often explore themes of death, mortality, and the fragility of life—most famously exemplified by The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991), a tiger shark suspended in formaldehyde.

In 1995, he won the prestigious Turner Prize. Over the years, Hirst has also created works involving butterflies, medicine cabinets, and diamond-encrusted skulls (For the Love of God, 2007). He is considered one of the UK’s richest living artists and remains a polarizing figure in the art world.