b. 1965, UK; lives and works in London and Gloucester
Damien Hirst studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths College. Whilst in his second year, he conceived and curated the group exhibition, Freeze, a show that launched not only Hirst, but a generation of British artists. Since the late 1980s, Hirst has used a varied practice of installation, sculpture, painting, and drawing to explore the complex relationships between art, beauty, religion, science, life, and death. His work investigates and challenges contemporary belief systems, and dissects the uncertainties at the heart of human experience.
Since 1987, over 90 solo Damien Hirst exhibitions have taken place worldwide, and he has been included in over 300 group shows. In 2012, London’s Tate Modern presented a major retrospective survey of his work in conjunction with the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. His work features in major collections, including Tate Collection; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Fondazione Prada; Astrup Fearnley Museum, and the Broad Art Foundation. He was awarded the Turner Prize in 1995.