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 Copper Pharmacy Fragment, Modern Paper Art, 20th Century
By Damien Hirst
Located in New York, NY
Damien Hirst wallpaper fragment from the famed Pharmacy restaurant in London. Fragment shows variuos pills and bottles all printed on copper metalli...
Paper
$22,769
H 27.17 in W 32.68 in
Utopia Digital Print, Contemporary Style, Signed, 21st Century, Framed
By Damien Hirst
Located in Bristol, GB
Inkjet, glaze and foil block on Hahnemuhle photo rag satin paper Edition 15 of 55 69 x 83 cm (27.2 x 32.7 in) (87.6 x 102.3 cm / 34.5 x 40.3 in) Signed and numbered on the front Cond...
Digital
$400
H 22.75 in W 30.75 in D 1 in
Pharmacy Exhibition Poster, Offset Print, Framed, 2003, Excellent
By Damien Hirst
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This compelling exhibition poster reproduces Damien Hirst’s iconic installation Pharmacy, published by the Tate Gallery in 2003 in conjunction with a major retrospective of the artis...
Offset
$17,200
H 32 in W 38 in D 1 in
Six Pills (Large) Hand Signed Inkjet Print, Framed, Pop Art, 2004
By Damien Hirst
Located in Aventura, FL
Inkjet printed in colors on wove paper. Hand signed & numbered by Damien Hirst. Published by Other Criteria, London. Image size 19.75 by 26.625 inches. Sheet size 26.875 b...
Inkjet
$99,000
H 44 in W 79 in D 2 in
Grey Spots Etching with Aquatint, Contemporary, Signed, Edition 2/115
By Damien Hirst
Located in New York, NY
Proofed and editioned by Peter Kosowicz at Thumbprint Editions Ltd, London, published by Paragon Press. Edition 2/115 The large-scale pop-art 'Grey Spots' Etching with Aquatint is a...
Etching, Aquatint
$15,340
H 39.38 in W 59.06 in
Damien Hirst, The Currency Unique Print (H11) - Signed Print, Abstract Art
By Damien Hirst
Located in Hamburg, DE
Damien Hirst (British, born 1965) The Currency Unique Print (H11), 2022 Medium: Archival giclée print on paper Dimensions: 100 × 150 cm (39 2/5 × 59 1/10 in) Edition of 1000 unique p...
Giclée
$15,524
H 27.17 in W 37.01 in
Meprobamate Screenprint on Somerset Paper, Signed, 21st Century
By Damien Hirst
Located in Bristol, GB
Screenprint in colours with glaze, on Somerset paper, with full margins Edition 5 of 150 70 x 94 cm (27.5 x 37 in) Signed and numbered on the front Condition upon request
Screen
$34,998
H 36.2 in W 49.6 in
Cannizaro H4-4 Damien Hirst Contemporary Art Diasec-mounted Giclée Print Street
By Damien Hirst
Located in Draper, UT
Damien Hirst Cannizaro H4-4 Diasec-mounted Giclée print on aluminium panel 920 x 1260 MM Edition size: 75 + 5 AP signed and numbered from an edition of 75 verso, published by HENI Editions; sheet: 92 x 126cm Damien Hirst first came to public attention in London in 1988 when he conceived and curated "Freeze," an exhibition in a disused warehouse that showed his work and that of his friends and fellow students at Goldsmiths College. In the nearly quarter of a century since that pivotal show (which would come to define the Young British Artists), Hirst has become one of the most influential artists of his generation. His groundbreaking works include The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991), a shark in formaldehyde; Mother and Child Divided (1993) a four-part sculpture of a bisected cow and calf; and For the Love of God (2007), a human skull studded with 8,601 diamonds. In addition to his installations and sculptures, Hirst’s Spot paintings...
Metal
$49,500
H 42 in W 42 in
Kindness Silkscreen Print by Damien Hirst, Contemporary, Signed, 2011
By Damien Hirst
Located in New York, NY
Damien Hirst, Kindness, 2011. Silkscreen. This stunning piece featuring a mandala pattern of vividly colored butterfly wings. This piece is an extremely limited edition of only 50, S...
Screen
$1,950
H 39 in W 23 in
Damien Hirst Signed Lithograph "The Currency" Contemporary Modern Street Art
By Damien Hirst
Located in Draper, UT
These hand signed lithograph prints were only made available to "HOLDERS" of the Currency prints. Less than 1000 were hand signed by Damien Hirst a...
Lithograph
Set of Five Large 1970s Acupuncture Charts
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Great set of acupuncture charts from the 1970s. Extremely detailed and thorough diagrams showing every part of the human anatomy. Charts in good vintage condition. Floating on black ...
Wood, Paper
'Wobble' Lenticular Artwork by Bruce Reinfeld, 2020s USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mesmerizing artwork is certain to bring any wall to life. In bleeding shades of blue, pink, and black, this piece may at first glance appear like an ordinary abstract painting. ...
Plastic
Lenticular 'Four Square' Artwork by Bruce Reinfeld, 2020s USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mesmerizing artwork is certain to bring any wall to life. Four squares in shades of pink, orange, purple, and green are colored in halftones, reminiscent of 20th century Pop Ar...
Plastic
Willy Guhl 12-Piece Fiber Cement Relief Wall Sculpture, 1960s Switzerland
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Whether displayed in a living room, hallway, or creative studio, this one-of-a-kind wall sculpture honors authenticity, quiet elegance, and the poetry of simplicity. This handcrafted...
Concrete
Andy Warhol's Index First Edition 1967
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This original 1967 first printing of Andy Warhol’s Index (Book) is a landmark of Pop Art publishing. Beneath its striking metallic softcover lies a playful world of pop-up brilliance...
Paper
28 Piece Willy Guhl Modular Concrete Bookcase, 1960s Switzerland
By Eternit, Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Monumental set of modular concrete cubes forming a giant bookcase by Swiss designer Willy Guhl. Made for Eternit in 1960s, Switzerland. Set includes 28 matching concrete rectangular ...
Fibre Cement
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.
