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Damien Hirst (born June 7, 1965) is an English artist and the most prominent of the group that has been dubbed "Young British Artists" (or YBAs). He dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s and is internationally renowned.
Death is a central theme in his work. He is best known for his Natural History series, in which dead animals (such as a shark, a sheep or a cow) are preserved, sometimes cut-up, in formaldehyde. His iconic work is The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, a 14-foot tiger shark immersed in formaldehyde in a vitrine.
Its sale in 2004 made him the second most expensive living artist (after Jasper Johns). As of March 2007, Damien´s exhibition titled Superstition, was a collection of 28 canvases covered in preserved butterflies and household paint inspired by stained glass windows. Superstition garnered over £25 million and placed Hirst as the most "successful"/most expensive living artist.
In June 2007 he revelled his latest work, a skull (For The Love Of God), which is covered with 8,601 flawless diamonds - three times the number on the Queen's crown. It took Hirst 18 months to make and is worth £ 50 million.
By contrast, the creations are made in large quantities in China (£ 128) and are on sale in one of the two London stores, a Monte Carlo branch, and online. Visitors to the jewellers, Butler and Wilson, can choose from more than 100 items that bear an uncanny likeness to the artist´s work.
Women can pick up a tiny clutch pin adorned with Swarovski crystals, a snip at just £ 18. The most expensive item in the range is a mirror surrounded by skulls at £ 158. Other pieces include earrings, necklaces and a tiara with 21 tiny skulls sitting across the top. The clearest likeness, however, is in the skull pendant, about the size of the palm of an adult hand. It is made up of a comparatively modest 200 or so crystals. |
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