Damien Hirst (born 7.06.1965, Great Britain)is an artist, businessman, art collector, the most prominent figure of Young British Artists (YBA) group, dominating on the art-scene since 1990s.

Damien Hirst was born in Bristol, went to Goldsmith College, specializing in art and design.

International fame came to Hirst in 1993 at Venice Biennial. His work «Separated mother and child» represented parts of a cow and a calf, placed in the aquariums with formalin. Death is the core topic in Hirst art.

The most famous series of the artist – Natural History. The signature work of the series - The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living – a 4,3 meter long tiger shark in the aquarium with formalin. The installation has become the world symbol of britart – contemporary British art. The artwork was sold in December 2004 to the collector Steve Coen for $ 12 000 000.

One of the most "big-time" Hirst projects - the image of a human skull in full size. The object is a copy of European scull in the age of 35 years, dead between 1720 and 1910, and is equipped with real teeth. The skull is encrusted with 8601 industrial diamonds weighing 1,100 carats; the skull surface is completely "paved" with stones. In the centre of the forehead there is a pale-pink brilliant in the center of the forehead - a pale pink diamond of classical cut weighing 52.4 carats.

Butterflies are one more central object of Hirst creations. For his installation In and Out of Love, exhibited in London Tate Modern in 2012, he used 9000 live butterflies that died in the course of the exhibition. Representatives of The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) were fiercely critical to this act.

In September 2008 the auction Sotheby’s put up for sale Hirst’s collection of artworks Beautiful Inside My Head Forever. 218 of 223 paintings were sold. The total sale comprised $ 200 752 000 – the world record of artwork sale of one artist.

The most expensive artwork of the artist “For the Love of God” was valued at 50 000 000 british pounds.