Everyone in the world talks about Damien Hirst: about his human skull covered with pure diamonds, the reproduction of drugs and medicines, the iconic animals in formaldehyde are now imprinted in the imagination of all of us. Despite the indignation that this talent continues to arouse, he is nowadays one of the most famous and popular artists.
He was born in 1965 in Bristol and his works often criticized for the strong subjects chosen by Damien Hirst: life and death are in fact the main ideas on which he reflects, playing with taboos and with the limits imposed by the art world. His art frightens, disgusts, scandalizes but it is also an invitation to reflect about time passing by and about the fragility of life.
Butterflies, cows, sharks are some of the protagonists of the works by Damien Hirst: animals that we can find in his major artworks. The butterfly is for example the protagonist of the famous I Love You, which are a kind of Hirst’s trademark.
Among the artworks by Damien Hirst For the Love of God represents one of his most celebrated sculptures. The title of the artwork was given by the exclamation of Hirst’s mother who, in front of her idea of working with a human skull, blurted out: “For the Love of God!”
Covered with 8,601 diamonds, this work costed 14 millions pounds: the artwork was created with a mould of a human skull, then fused in platinum and enriched with diamonds. Starting from the unique piece Damien Hirst created a screenprint version of the original art work signed by the artist.
In Italy, in 2017, one of the most important projects by the artist takes shape: Venice is the protagonist of the personal exhibition of Damien Hirst Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, an event destined to mark a before and after in the artist’s career. For his Italian debut, Hirst decided to go beyond reality, creating a visionary narration of monumental and virtuous works produced by the Pinault Collection. The exhibition has registered an incredible number of visitors and today it is remembered as one of the largest and richest exhibitions ever created by a living artist.
The work that made Hirst one of the expensive and most popular living artists in the world is The Physical Impossibility Of Death In the Mind Of Someone Living, it is a stuffed tiger shark of over 4 meters and preserved in formaldehyde. For this reason the art work has become an icon, giving the title to books on the art market and stirring up the anger of animal rights activists. This has only increased the reputation of Damien Hirst whose artworks are now valued at millions and millions of dollars on the market.
