We are open until 6:00 PM today.

Tickets Information Directions

Exhibitions

Permanent exhibition

From Andy Warhol to Kara Walker. Scenes from the Collection

Permanent exhibition

Cy Twombly at Museum Brandhorst

0
Info

Damien Hirst

Artist Factory

was born in Bristol, UK, in 1965.

Damien Hirst is one of Britain’s most famous artists. He is known for large, expensive and elaborate installations, but also for his love of shock and spectacle.

Many of his works challenge, and are the cause of heated debates. It is important to Damien to question what makes artworks valuable.

Discuss

How much is an artwork worth, and who determines its value? 

In 1988, while still a student at Goldsmiths’ College in London, Damien curated an exhibition entitled “Freeze,” in which he presented his own work and that of his fellow students. This exhibition is regarded as the starting point for the artists who would become world-famous under the name “Young British Artists,” or “YBAs” for short.

Damien finds it interesting when things are repulsive and attractive at the same time. In one of his most famous series of works, he exhibits dead animals in large glass cases: a sheep, a cow, and a shark. To preserve them, he soaked all the animals in a blue liquid—formaldehyde. Death is one of the central themes in Damien’s works. His fascination with (im)mortality is visible in various series of works.

Damien grew up in Leeds in the north of England. During his art studies in London he completed an internship in a mortuary—an experience that would influence his later themes and materials.

Delve deeper

Artist Factory

Damien Hirst

was born in Bristol, UK, in 1965.

Discover more artists

Artist Factory

Cady Noland

Artist Factory

Ed Ruscha

Artist Factory

Laura Owens

Artist Factory

Wade Guyton

Artist Factory

Franz West

Artist Factory

Arthur Jafa

Artist Factory

Alexandra Bircken

Artist Factory

Jutta Koether

Artist Factory

Seth Price

Artist Factory

Kerstin Brätsch

Artist Factory

Keith Haring