Damien Hirst , born in Bristol, England, on June 7, 1965, is a British painter, assemblagist, and conceptual artist known for his deliberately provocative art that confronts vanitas and beauty, death and rebirth, and medicine, technology, and mortality. Hirst emerged as a controversial figure in the 1990s art scene, shocking audiences with displays of dead animals preserved in formaldehyde. His work, like that of Marcel Duchamp, utilized ready-made objects to challenge the definition of art itself. Hirst gained recognition as one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) and won the Turner Prize in 1995.

What kind of art is Damien Hirst known for?

Damien Hirst is known for his deliberately provocative art that confronts vanitas and beauty, death and rebirth, and medicine, technology, and mortality. He is a British assemblagist, painter, and conceptual artist. Hirst often uses dead animals in formaldehyde as art. One of his most memorable and controversial works is The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991), which features a dead shark suspended in a tank filled with formaldehyde. He also incorporates unusual, often previously living, elements in his art. His other works include spin machine paintings, ashtrays filled with cigarette butts, medicine cabinets filled with pharmaceuticals, and a diamond-studded platinum-cast human skull entitled For the Love of God .

What is one of Damien Hirst’s most famous artworks?

One of Damien Hirst 's most famous artworks is The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living . Created in 1991 and commissioned by art collector Charles Saatchi, this piece features a dead shark suspended in a tank filled with formaldehyde. Hirst is known for his provocative art that addresses themes of vanitas, death, rebirth, and mortality. Similar to Marcel Duchamp, Hirst uses ready-made objects to create shocking effects, questioning the nature of art itself. Another notable work is Some Comfort Gained from the Acceptance of the Inherent Lies in Everything (1996), which showcases a cross-sectioned dead cow in a Plexiglas box.

How does Damien Hirst use unusual materials in his art?

Damien Hirst is known for his deliberately provocative art that confronts mortality and the nature of art itself. He employs unusual materials to create shocking effects, similar to Marcel Duchamp . Hirst's notable works include dead animals preserved in formaldehyde, such as a shark in The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living and a cross-sectioned dead cow in Some Comfort Gained from the Acceptance of the Inherent Lies in Everything . He also uses items like cigarette butts, pharmaceuticals, and found objects in his art. One of his most extravagant pieces is For the Love of God , a diamond-studded, platinum-cast human skull.

What themes often appear in Hirst’s works?

Damien Hirst, a prominent figure in contemporary art, explores provocative themes in his works, including vanitas and beauty, death and rebirth, and medicine, technology, and mortality . Hirst often questions the very nature of art itself, using unusual elements such as dead animals in formaldehyde to reflect on mortality and the human unwillingness to confront it. His works often carry elaborate titles that underscore his preoccupation with mortality.

How has Damien Hirst influenced the modern art world?

Damien Hirst , a British artist, emerged as a provocative figure in the 1990s art scene, challenging conventional notions of art. His use of unconventional materials, such as dead animals preserved in formaldehyde, and his exploration of themes like mortality and medicine, have had a lasting impact. Hirst's work, like that of Marcel Duchamp, employs ready-made objects to shock and question the nature of art. He is considered an enfant terrible of the art world. Hirst's influence extends to his role in curating "Freeze," a show that launched the Young British Artists (YBAs).

Damien Hirst

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Visitors view Damien Hirst's artwork The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, featuring a preserved shark in a glass tank at Tate Modern gallery.

Quick Facts

In full:: Damien Steven Hirst

Born:: June 7, 1965, Bristol, England (age 61)

Awards And Honors:: Turner Prize (1995)

Notable Works:: “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living”; “Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable”

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Damien Hirst

British artist

Also known as: Damien Steven Hirst

Written by

Lisa S. Wainwright

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 29, 2026 •History

Top Questions

Who is Damien Hirst?
Damien Hirst, born in Bristol, England, on June 7, 1965, is a British painter, assemblagist, and conceptual artist known for his deliberately provocative art that confronts vanitas and beauty, death and rebirth, and medicine, technology, and mortality.

Hirst emerged as a controversial figure in the 1990s art scene, shocking audiences with displays of dead animals preserved in formaldehyde. His work, like that of Marcel Duchamp, utilized ready-made objects to challenge the definition of art itself. Hirst gained recognition as one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) and won the Turner Prize in 1995.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Damien Hirst
2. Vile or Visionary?: 11 Art Controversies of the Last Four Centuries: Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What kind of art is Damien Hirst known for?
Damien Hirst is known for his deliberately provocative art that confronts vanitas and beauty, death and rebirth, and medicine, technology, and mortality. He is a British assemblagist, painter, and conceptual artist.

Hirst often uses dead animals in formaldehyde as art. One of his most memorable and controversial works is The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991), which features a dead shark suspended in a tank filled with formaldehyde. He also incorporates unusual, often previously living, elements in his art. His other works include spin machine paintings, ashtrays filled with cigarette butts, medicine cabinets filled with pharmaceuticals, and a diamond-studded platinum-cast human skull entitled For the Love of God.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is one of Damien Hirst’s most famous artworks?
One of Damien Hirst's most famous artworks is The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. Created in 1991 and commissioned by art collector Charles Saatchi, this piece features a dead shark suspended in a tank filled with formaldehyde. Hirst is known for his provocative art that addresses themes of vanitas, death, rebirth, and mortality. Similar to Marcel Duchamp, Hirst uses ready-made objects to create shocking effects, questioning the nature of art itself. Another notable work is Some Comfort Gained from the Acceptance of the Inherent Lies in Everything (1996), which showcases a cross-sectioned dead cow in a Plexiglas box.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Damien Hirst
2. Vile or Visionary?: 11 Art Controversies of the Last Four Centuries: Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How does Damien Hirst use unusual materials in his art?
Damien Hirst is known for his deliberately provocative art that confronts mortality and the nature of art itself. He employs unusual materials to create shocking effects, similar to Marcel Duchamp.

Hirst's notable works include dead animals preserved in formaldehyde, such as a shark in The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living and a cross-sectioned dead cow in Some Comfort Gained from the Acceptance of the Inherent Lies in Everything. He also uses items like cigarette butts, pharmaceuticals, and found objects in his art. One of his most extravagant pieces is For the Love of God, a diamond-studded, platinum-cast human skull.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Damien Hirst
2. Vile or Visionary?: 11 Art Controversies of the Last Four Centuries: Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What themes often appear in Hirst’s works?
Damien Hirst, a prominent figure in contemporary art, explores provocative themes in his works, including vanitas and beauty, death and rebirth, and medicine, technology, and mortality. Hirst often questions the very nature of art itself, using unusual elements such as dead animals in formaldehyde to reflect on mortality and the human unwillingness to confront it. His works often carry elaborate titles that underscore his preoccupation with mortality.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Damien Hirst
2. Vile or Visionary?: 11 Art Controversies of the Last Four Centuries: Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How has Damien Hirst influenced the modern art world?
Damien Hirst, a British artist, emerged as a provocative figure in the 1990s art scene, challenging conventional notions of art. His use of unconventional materials, such as dead animals preserved in formaldehyde, and his exploration of themes like mortality and medicine, have had a lasting impact.

Hirst's work, like that of Marcel Duchamp, employs ready-made objects to shock and question the nature of art. He is considered an enfant terrible of the art world. Hirst's influence extends to his role in curating "Freeze," a show that launched the Young British Artists (YBAs).
2 Britannica Sources
1. Damien Hirst
2. Vile or Visionary?: 11 Art Controversies of the Last Four Centuries: Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Damien Hirst (born June 7, 1965, Bristol, England) is a British assemblagist, painter, and conceptual artist whose deliberately provocative art addresses vanitas and beauty, death and rebirth, and medicine, technology, and mortality. Considered an enfant terrible of the 1990s art world, Hirst presented dead animals in formaldehyde as art. Like the French artist Marcel Duchamp, Hirst employed ready-made objects to shocking effect, and in the process he questioned the very nature of art. In 1995 he won Tate Britain’s Turner Prize, Great Britain’s premier award for contemporary art.

Hirst grew up in Leeds and moved to London in the early 1980s. He began his artistic life as a painter and assemblagist. From 1986 to 1989 he attended Goldsmiths College in London, and during this time he curated an influential student show, “Freeze,” which was attended by the British advertising mogul and art collector Charles Saatchi. The exhibition showcased the work of a group of Hirst’s classmates who later became known as the successful Young British Artists (YBAs) of the 1990s. Hirst’s reputation as both an artist and a provocateur quickly soared. His displays of animals in formaldehyde and his installations complete with live maggots and butterflies were seen as reflections on mortality and the human unwillingness to confront it. Most of his works were given elaborate titles that underscored his general preoccupation with mortality.

Hirst’s later work included paintings made by spin machines, enlarged ashtrays filled with cigarette butts, monumental anatomical models of the human torso, medicine cabinets filled with pharmaceuticals, other curiosity cabinets filled with found objects, and a diamond-studded platinum-cast human skull entitled For the Love of God, probably the most expensive work of art ever made. His references to other artistic movements and artists were many. The common format of massive vitrines, for example, relied on the precedent of minimalism, while his use of found materials and assistants in making works linked him to other artists of the era, such as the American Jeff Koons, who purposefully demystified the role of the artist’s hand.

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Never one to follow the rules, Hirst made headlines (and a fortune) in 2008 when he, rather than selling through a gallery as is customary, put up a selection of his work at auction and reaped more than $200 million dollars. During the 2017 Venice Biennale, he concurrently held his own solo exhibition, “Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable,” in two venues. The monumental installation featured sculptures and other objects presented as the remains from a fictional 2,000-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Africa.

Hirst’s art was shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including major retrospectives at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples (2004) and Tate Modern (2012) in London. He also wrote books, designed restaurants, collaborated on pop music projects, and experimented with film.

Lisa S. Wainwright The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Damien Hirst

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