Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst (b. 1965, Bristol, England) emerged with the seminal "Freeze" exhibition that founded the yBa movement, and has since made conceptual, provocative work probing the boundary between life and death using materials such as skulls, animals, butterflies, and pills. His long-running "Spot Painting" series distills the essential form of the pill, reflecting contemporary faith in medicine and the fear of death that underlies it. He studied at Goldsmiths College, London, and has held solo exhibitions at Gagosian, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Palazzo Grassi, and White Cube, among others.