DAMIEN HIRST

British-born and based Damien Hirst is one of the most successful and controversial artists of his generation. Pushing boundaries from the outset, Hirst put together a revolutionary exhibit called “Freeze” while studying art Goldsmith’s College at the University of London. Soon after, he became a guiding figure of the Young British Arts movement in the 1980s and 1990s, known for the use of unlikely materials and provocative concepts.

Hirst had his first solo exhibition in 1991 at the Woodstock Street Gallery in London in 1991, and participated in the Young British Artists show at the Saatchi Gallery the following year where he displayed one of his most iconic works, “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living” – a 14-foot-long glass tank containing a formaldehyde-preserved shark. In 1993, Hirst had the honor of presenting another controversial glass tank work at the Venice Biennale and in 1995 he won Britain’s prestigious Turner Prize.

Working across all mediums, Hirst created a series of spot paintings, one of the most recognizable series in his oeuvre, which are canvases composed of colored spots placed in a grid system. Endless possibilities abound as the works always abide by the rule that colors only be used once per work. Named after chemical substances used by the pharmaceutical industry, the spot prints seduce through exuberant colors and are produced through a technical and labor-intensive process, with each spot individually inked before printing.

Hirst has had over 80 solo exhibitions worldwide and has been included in over 260 group shows. He lives and works in London, Devon, and Gloucestershire.