Love him. Hate him. Adore or despise him. Few would deny that there are controversies around Damien Hirst as one of the most contentious figures in the industry. He’s a master at pissing people off while also managing to maintain a cultish following. Is this divisiveness not exactly what he wants?
Damien Hirst is now a blue-chip artist whose work now dominates the contemporary print market, offering art collectors of all levels the chance to own a piece by one of the most influential artists of our time. Explore our collection to discover a range of Hirst’s works from accessible prices to iconic works.
About Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst is a contemporary British artist whose work has rarely stood still throughout his career. Beginning in the 1980s, his prominence on the art scene has stood the test of time. Hirst’s plans for artwork releases after his death show he is an artist who is not going anywhere.
He burst onto the scene in the late ‘80s alongside other Young British Artists (YBA’s). Exhibitions such as Freeze in 1988 brought together 16 students from Goldsmiths, University of London, under the tutelage of Michael Craig-Martin were pushing boundaries and putting British artists back on the cultural map. The YBA’s under the patronage of Charles Saatchi grew to include artists such as Tracey Emin, Marc Quinn, Rachel Whiteread, Gary Hume and Sarah Lucas, building the BritArt movement.
From this point, his work has expanded, taking over the global market, where you can now buy pieces from his most famous series to more affordable works, allowing you the chance to join the Damien Hirst art market.
Iconic Series and Artworks
His formaldehyde works, of his Natural History series, came to epitomise the British art scene of the time, and of course, proved deeply controversial. As did his £50 million diamond skull made of real human teeth and 8,601 pavé-laid diamonds titled For The Love of God… And how about his Tate retrospective in 2012 that led to the death of 9,000 butterflies?
One of the key examples of his shock art tactics was The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. This is one of his most iconic works, of a tiger shark in formaldehyde, where Hirst wanted something "big enough to eat you".
Damien Hirst’s prints, while not all featuring real animals and skulls like some of his more famous works, still carry powerful symbols of memento mori - a reminder of mortality and the passage of time. He uses symbolism of death and immortality with the butterflies in his Empress series, to the use of blossoms in the Virtues series; these prints highlight the ephemeral change of seasons. This contrasts with the energy and movement found in his Spin Paintings, which celebrate the dynamic force of life itself.
Hirst’s fascination with the human condition also extends into the realm of science, especially through his abstract Spot Paintings. These works echo his interest in medicine and scientific classification, further examined in his Pharmacy and the orderly system created in an attempt to understand and categorise the complex world around us. These are some of his most popular works, with a 2011 print titled Benzyloxyurea reaching £121,000 at auction in 2024.
Art Market and Investment
If you are looking to start collecting Damien Hirst’s work, limited editions are the most accessible points of entry, with affordable prices, including artwork under £500 up to £100,000s.
Damien Hirst has many iconic works, from his infamous 1991 shark-in-formaldehyde piece, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, to the blockbuster Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, shown at Palazzo Grassi. Hirst has consistently challenged traditional ideas of what art is and how it is bought and sold. Represented by top-tier galleries including White Cube and Gagosian, and with his own Newport Street Gallery in London,
Damien Hirst’s most expensive artwork to have sold at auction was his The Golden Calf (2008), a formaldehyde piece which sold for £10.3 million (approximately $14.4 million) at Sotheby's in September 2018. Meanwhile, his piece For the Love of God (2007) is claimed to have sold for £50 million in a private sale. You can see how Damien Hirst’s Limited Editions Are Shaping Art Collecting Trends.
Hirst is not just an artist but a market-maker in the world of investment-grade contemporary art. Hirst remains an influential figure in the print market with plans to continue to do so posthumously. For most artists, there is a tug-of-war between market & legacy, but for Hirst, he falls into both categories.
Look through our collection of Damien Hirst artworks to find a piece to buy within your budget.
Authenticity and Provenance
When you’re collecting Damien Hirst, authenticity is not just necessary, it’s paramount. With the notoriety of the artist and the demand for work by him, all work sold with FairArt is checked for authenticity. We offer a FairArt guarantee to confirm that the pieces sold are correctly signed and numbered, or any work issued with a certificate of authenticity requires one from a trustworthy gallery, HENI, or the estate of Damien Hirst. Authentication means that you know that the work is an original and you can have confidence in your purchase. If you have any further questions, please email us at support@fairart.io.