Damien Hirst is a British artist whose work explores the boundaries between beauty and decay, belief and doubt, life and death. Since the late 1980s, he has developed an instantly recognisable visual language across painting, sculpture, installation and design – challenging how we perceive value, faith, and the human condition.
Hirst first rose to prominence while studying at Goldsmiths College, London, where he curated Freeze (1988), the landmark exhibition that introduced the Young British Artists. His early fascination with systems and repetition gave rise to the Spot Paintings, while his Natural History series – featuring animals preserved in formaldehyde – became an enduring reflection on mortality and the tension between science and spirituality.
Works such as For the Love of God (2007), a platinum cast of a human skull set with 8,601 diamonds, and Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable (2017), a vast sculptural project first shown in Venice, extend this exploration of art, myth, and permanence. In 2015, he opened Newport Street Gallery in London to share his art collection with the public, continuing his lifelong inquiry into how art gives form to belief.
Photo by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.
