Creator story
Surprising fact
His diamond skull For the Love of God is set with 8,601 diamonds and was reportedly priced at £50 million.
Source: Wikipedia / WikimediaContemporary art
Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst (born 1965) is the most prominent of the Young British Artists and one of the richest living artists. His shark preserved in formaldehyde and his diamond-encrusted skull made him a symbol of art, money and mortality.
Hirst made death and money his central themes, becoming the defining art-world celebrity of his generation.
- A leading Young British Artist, famous for animals preserved in formaldehyde.
- His diamond skull is one of the most expensive contemporary artworks.
- Made death, money and spectacle his signature themes.
Key works
A key work by Damien Hirst
These works make it easiest to see how the artist changed form, content, and the very way art could exist in culture.
1991
The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living
The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living is one of Damien Hirst's defining works.