Damien Hirst is an English artist and entrepreneur who is most famous for his artworks of displays of dead

animals and medicine cabinet sculptures. With his controversial and sometimes shocking works, he has
emerged as one of the best known artists in Britain. Born into a middle class family in England, he was a
troublesome teenager and was jailed twice for shoplifting. Despite his sometimes wild behavior, he made his
way to college and later studied Art at the University of London. He celebrated his first success as an artist
when he presented dead animals in formaldehyde as an art. His later works include paintings made by spin
machines, enlarged ashtrays filled with cigarette butts, monumental anatomical models of the human torso,
and medicine cabinets filled with pharmaceuticals. He became an important figure in the development of
Britart, an innovative and revolutionary conceptual art. His body of work comprises of paintings, drawings,
sculptures and installations that blur the boundaries between art and science. Arguably one of the world's most
famous living artists, in his works, he often emphasizes on themes such as, life and death, mortality, and
betrayal. His works philosophically examine the meaning of life, challenging the concepts of originality and
authenticity. Apart from being an artists, he is an entrepreneur and philanthropist

Childhood & Early Life

 Damien Hirst was born on June 7, 1965, in Bristol, England, to Mary Brennan, an unmarried
shorthand typist. His biological father’s identity is unknown while his stepfather, William Hirst,
a motor mechanic, left the family when Damien was 12. His mother later on worked for the
Citizens Advice Bureau.
 He was a moody child and was raised as a catholic. From a young age, he expressed an
interest in the horrific and gruesome aspects of life.
 As a teenager, he developed a liking towards illustrated pathology books and was fascinated
by the images of disease and injury. He also had a keen interest in drawing, a passion his
mother supported.
 He grew up to be a troubled teen and was subsequently jailed twice for the charges of
shoplifting.
 Despite the lack of discipline in his early life, he was accepted into the Jacob Kramer School
of Art in his second attempt after a successful application to the Foundation Diploma course.
 From 1986 to 1989, Damien Hirst studied Fine Arts at Goldsmiths College, University of
London. As a student, he worked at a mortuary, an experience that influenced his later
artistic career.

Career
 In 1988, while studying in college, he served as the main organizer of an independent
exhibition titled ‘Freeze’. The show featured his works as well as the works of other artists
such as, Fiona Rae and Sarah Lucas.
 After graduating, his works were included in New Contemporaries show and in a group show
at Kettles Yard Gallery in Cambridge. Subsequently, he joined an emerging movement
known as the ‘Young British Artists’ which was known for its unusual works and interesting
art concepts.
 In 1991, his solo exhibitions were held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, and the
Emmanuel Perrotin Gallery in Paris. While his work was mostly met with negative response,
he received support from Charles Saatchi, an advertising titan and art collector.
 In 1992, Damien Hirst participated in the Young British Artists exhibition at the Saatchi
Gallery where he displayed ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone
Living’, a 14-foot-long glass tank with a shark preserved in formaldehyde.
 In 1993, Damien Hirst’s first major international presentation was held at the Venice Biennale
where he showed his art work titled ‘Mother and Child Divided’. It is an installation piece that
 featured a bisected cow and her calf displayed in four vitrines, or glass cases, filled with
formaldehyde.
 In subsequent years, he also exhibited in shows in Seoul, London and Salzburg showcasing
his talent. In 1997, his autobiography and art book titled ‘I Want To Spend the Rest of My
Life Everywhere, with Everyone, One to One, Always, Forever, Now,’ was published.
 In addition to his glass tank works, he also made paintings and sculptures. In 2007, he
unveiled "For the Love of God," a glittering, diamond-encrusted skull made of platinum.
 In 2009, he exhibited a collection of paintings, ‘No Love Lost, Blue Paintings,’ which
provoked the anger of many critics who labeled them as dull and unprofessional.

Major Works
 In 2008, his art works were presented at the two-day auction, Beautiful Inside My Head
Forever, and raised $198 million (US) in sales. It is supposedly the largest amount raised by
any living artist to date and Damien Hirst is reputed to be the richest living artist to date.

Awards & Achievements

 In 1995, Damien Hirst won the prestigious Turner Prize.

Personal Life & Legacy

 From 1992 to 2012, Damien Hirst lived with his Californian girlfriend, Maia Norman, with
whom he had three sons: Connor Ojala, Cassius Atticus, and Cyrus Joe. Though the couple
never officially married, he referred to Norman as his ‘common-law wife’.

Trivia
 Damien Hirst is a supporter of the ‘Survival International’, an indigenous rights organization.
He donated his work, ‘Beautiful Love Survival’, at the Sotheby’s London sale, Beautiful Inside
My Head Forever, to raise money for the organization