Damien Hirst (14 photos)

Damien Hirst (Damien Hirst, 1965, Bristol, UK) - one of the most expensive living artist and the most prominent figure of the "Young British Artists» (Young British Artists)

His father was a mechanic and car salesman, he left the family when Damien was 12. His mother was Catholic, who worked in the consulting offices and amateur painter. She quickly lost control of his son, who was arrested twice for shoplifting. Damien Hirst attended art college in Leeds, studied art at the University of London.

Hurst had serious problems with drugs and alcohol for the past ten years, since the early nineties.

Death - a central theme in his work. The most well-known series of the artist - dead animals in formaldehyde (shark, a sheep, a cow ...)





One of his first works was the installation of "A Thousand Years" - a clear demonstration of life and death. In a glass case there were eggs fly larvae to crawl behind a glass partition to food - rotting cow's head. Of larvae hatched flies, which then died on exposed wires "electronic fly swatter." The visitor could see "a thousand years" now, and then come back in a few days and see how decreased during this time cow's head and raised hill of dead flies.

In forty years Hirst "worth" £ 100 million, which is more than Picasso, Warhol and Dali in this age together

In 1991, Hirst has created "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" (tiger shark in a tank of formaldehyde)

"I like it when the subject symbolizes the feeling. Shark scare him more than you and is in an environment that is unfamiliar to you. It looks like a dead live, and live - to the dead. " Sold for $ 12 million



Cut along the preserved sheep. Being "frozen in death." Expresses "the joy of life and the inevitability of death." Sold for 2, 1 million pounds



"Divided mother and child." Between them can pass. In 1995, Hurst received the award for her Ternerovskoy. In 1999 he declined an invitation to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale.



In Hirst was a big "medical" series. At the exhibition in Mexico president campaign for the production of vitamin paid $ 3 million for the "Blood of Christ", the installation of paracetamol tablets in the medicine cabinet. "Lullaby Spring" - cabinet with 6136 pills spread out on a razor blade left at Christie's auction for $ 19, 1 million



LSD

The third major series Hirst - "dot paintings" - colored circles on a white background. Master pointed out what colors to use, but he did not touch the canvas. In 2003, his point pattern was used as a calibration tool for the British unit "Beagle", launched to Mars





The fourth series - paintings rotation - are on the rotating potter's wheel. Hirst stands on a ladder and throws paint on a rotating basis - on canvas or board. Sometimes the team of assistants: "Another red" or "Turpentine»

Paintings "are a clear presentation of the energy of a random»



The fifth category - pattern with butterflies



Collage of thousands of separate wings of tropical butterflies created in a separate studio technicians



Another category - oil paintings. The plot is most violent death.

"Cocaine, abandoned by society", "Opening and the prepared human brain»



An interesting thing happened to one reporter, who has hung an old portrait of Stalin, once bought for 200 pounds. In 2007, he went to the Christie's proposal to put it up for auction. The auction house declined, saying that does not sell or Stalin or Hitler.

- And what if the author was a Hurst or Warhol?

- Well, then we are happy to have him

The reporter called and asked Hurst pririsovat Stalin red nose. He did so, and added his signature.

Christie's sold the work for 140 thousand pounds