2009
British artist Damien Hirst is widely considered the enfant terrible of contemporary art. He is the most prominent of the so-called Young British Artists, or YBAs, a group, largely composed of Hirst’s classmates at Goldsmiths, in London, that began exhibiting together in warehouses and factories after 1988 and is known for the use of unconventional materials and “shock tactics” in his paintings, prints, sculptures and other works.
In the 1990s, Hirst said, “I can’t wait to get into a position to make really bad art and get away with it.” And indeed, he is notorious for piquing critics and baffling the public with such pieces as his signature glass vitrines containing dead sheep or sharks in formaldehyde, and his diamond-encrusted skull, For the Love of God.
Working primarily in sculpture, Hirst takes after French modernist master Marcel Duchamp in his use of ready-made objects and materials, which he combines to ironic effect. He often creates in series, as with "The Cure (Violet)" and "The Cure (Turquoise)," both from 2014, which are among several pill paintings referencing Andy Warhol’s embrace of mass production.
Belonging to Hirst's ongoing series of “spot” paintings, begun in the 1980s, the 2005 piece Xylene Cyanol Dye Solution is striking for its machinelike, industrial uniformity and almost childlike simplicity, a seeming rebuke to the idea of the artist-as-genius.
In addition to making art, Hirst has launched stores that sell editioned works (Other Criteria), a restaurant (Pharmacy2) and even his own London museum (Newport Street Gallery).
Find original Damien Hirst paintings, prints and other works on 1stDibs.
Damien Hirst -- Work from the Limited Edition Book "The Souls"
By Damien Hirst
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Damien Hirst Work from the Limited Edition Book "The Souls", 2011 Three color foil block print Image: 23.5 x 14 cm Frame: 50 x 39.5 x 3.5 cm Ed. 31/100 Signed and numbered in white ...
Foil
Peter Max -- Heart on Blends
By Peter Max
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Peter Max Heart on Blends, 2006 Mixed-media with acrylic painting and color lithography on paper. A unique work Hand signed in acrylic low right. Image size 23 x 18 cm Frame size ...
Mixed Media
Peter Max -- Love on Blends
By Peter Max
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Peter Max Love on Blends, 2006 Mixed-media with acrylic painting and color lithography on paper. A unique work Hand signed in acrylic low right. Image size 23 x 18 cm Frame size 6...
Mixed Media
Sam Francis -- Mehrfarbige Spirale
By Sam Francis
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Sam Francis Mehrfarbige Spirale, 1970 Signed in pencil Edition A.P. (the edition was 40) Image size: 60.4 x 45.3 cm Sheet size: 85 x 68 cm Published by The Litho Shop, Inc., Californ...
Etching, Aquatint
Paul Jenkins -- Phenomena With Two Black Threads, Acrylic on Paper, Signed
By Paul Jenkins
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Paul Jenkins Phenomena With Two Black Threads, 1964 Acrylic on paper Hand signed lower right Inscribed and dated on the reverse Painting size 36.4 x 25.3 cm Frame size 44 x 33.4 x ...
Acrylic
James Rosenquist -- Rouge Pad
By James Rosenquist
Located in BRUCE, ACT
James Rosenquist Rouge Pad, 1978 Etching, aquatint 57.2 x 101.6 cm Unframed, Hand-signed, titled, dated and numbered, 46/78, in pencil Noted as Glenn 134 in the artist’s catalogu...
Etching, Aquatint
"Heart Spin Painting" inscribed acrylic on paper painting by artist Damien Hirst
By Damien Hirst
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Heart Spin Painting" acrylic on paper painting by artist Damien Hirst. Created with public collaboration at the Damien Hirst Spin Workshop to celebrate the opening of "Requiem" at t...
Paper, Acrylic
Spin (Heart)
By Damien Hirst
Located in Manchester, GB
By Damien Hirst 2009 Stamped by artist A vibrant example of Damien Hirst’s iconic spin paintings, this work embodies the artist’s exploration of colour, movement, and controlled r...
Paper, Acrylic
Spin (Heart)
By Damien Hirst
Located in Manchester, GB
By Damien Hirst 2009 Stamped by artist A vibrant example of Damien Hirst’s iconic spin paintings, this work embodies the artist’s exploration of colour, movement, and controlled r...
Paper, Acrylic
Heart Spin: Framed Acrylic Painting, Abstract Geometric, 2000s
By Damien Hirst
Located in New York, NY
First explored in the early 1990s, the spin technique has become one of Hirst’s most sought-after and instantly recognizable styles, reflecting his interest in process, color, and th...
Acrylic
Hearth Spin Painting, 2009, Painting by Damien Hirst.
By Damien Hirst
Located in Hong Kong, HK
Damien Hirst (1965) Hearth Spin Painting (2009) acrylic and metallic paint on paper 20⅛ h × 20⅜ w in (51 × 52 cm) Signed and stamped with Damien Hirst's studio's blindstamp; stamp...
Paper, Acrylic
Heart Spin: Framed Abstract Acrylic Painting in Black, Orange, Yellow
By Damien Hirst
Located in New York, NY
First explored in the early 1990s, the spin technique has become one of Hirst’s most sought-after and instantly recognizable styles, reflecting his interest in process, color, and th...
Acrylic
Once built for curbs and handrails, these boards now hang beside blue-chip works in major museums and collectors’ homes.
Fierceness and fragility coalesce as the British artist revisits a cherished motif — the butterfly.
