Damien Hirst : biography

Damien Hirst, born on June 7, 1965, in Bristol, England, is a British artist who became well-known in the 1990s as a leading figure of the Young British Artists (YBAs) group. Hirst explores themes of death, transience, and perception through a variety of media, including installation, sculpture, painting, and drawing.

His provocative approach to art is perhaps best exemplified by his works involving animals preserved in formaldehyde, such as the shark in *The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living* (1991) or the cow and calf in *Mother and Child Divided* (1993). These works, which feature whole creatures or sections of them in glass vitrines, prompt reflection on life and death while challenging artistic conventions.

Hirst is also known for his *spot paintings*, a series of paintings made up of rows of colored dots, questioning the notion of originality and artistic production. In 2007, his work *For the Love of God*, a human skull made of platinum and covered in diamonds, caused a sensation due to its extravagant production cost and its commentary on vanity.

Hirst's art has often divided public and critical opinion, oscillating between accusations of sensationalism and recognition of his ability to challenge conventional ideas about art, beauty, and mortality. His work has been exhibited in numerous prestigious institutions around the world and continues to fuel debates about the value, originality, and purpose of contemporary art.