Damien Hirst Quotes

Powerful Damien Hirst for Daily Growth

About Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst (b. 1965) is an influential British contemporary artist known for his provocative and thought-provoking works that challenge conventional notions of art and beauty. Born in Bristol, England, Hirst's interest in art was sparked at a young age, and he pursued formal training at Goldsmiths College in London, where he became part of the Young British Artists (YBAs) group, which included fellow artists like Chris Ofili, Tracey Emin, and Sarah Lucas. Hirst's work is characterized by its boldness, shock value, and use of unconventional materials such as animals, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment. His most famous piece, "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living," features a 14-foot tiger shark preserved in formaldehyde, encapsulating the paradoxical nature of life and death that runs throughout his oeuvre. Other notable works include "For the Love of God," an elaborate skull sculpture covered in platinum and diamonds, and "Mother and Child Divided," a cow and calf bisected horizontally into multiple sections. In 1995, Hirst's solo exhibition at Charles Saatchi's gallery titled "Some Went Mad, Some Ran Away" catapulted him to international fame. Throughout his career, he has continued to push boundaries and challenge perceptions through various mediums, from painting and sculpture to installations and even pharmaceutical experiments. Despite the controversy surrounding some of his works, Hirst's impact on the art world is undeniable. His ability to address complex themes while maintaining a distinctly provocative aesthetic has solidified his place as one of the most influential contemporary artists of our time.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The more you look at something, the less you see."

This quote emphasizes that familiarity with an object or situation can sometimes lead to a reduction in our perception of it. As we spend more time observing something, our brain tends to categorize it and assign it a mental label, which may cause us to miss the intricacies and novel aspects that initially caught our attention. This is a reminder to regularly re-evaluate what we think we know and maintain an open mind for fresh perspectives.

"I want to provide art for everyone."

Damien Hirst's statement "I want to provide art for everyone" signifies his intent to make art accessible, inclusive, and not confined solely to elite circles. This attitude embodies a democratization of the art world, breaking down barriers between artists and their audience, and fostering an environment where anyone, regardless of status or background, can appreciate and engage with artistic expressions.

"Art is a way of trying to make sense of the world."

This quote suggests that art, in essence, serves as an avenue for human beings to seek understanding and meaning in their experiences of the world. It implies that art is not just about aesthetics or creativity, but also a means of reflection, interpretation, and ultimately, making sense of the complexities and mysteries of life. In other words, through artistic expression, we can try to grasp and give shape to our individual and collective perceptions of reality.

"My work's about life and death, good and evil."

This quote by Damien Hirst suggests that his art explores fundamental human themes such as the cycle of life and death, morality, and the duality inherent in these concepts. His artworks often confront viewers with stark reminders of mortality (e.g., his famous shark preserved in formaldehyde) while also exploring the ethical implications of various topics (such as animal rights or the pharmaceutical industry). In essence, Hirst's work invites us to ponder these age-old questions and contemplate our own relationship with life, death, good, and evil.

"I think it's very dangerous for artists to be seen as some sort of prophet or guru."

Damien Hirst's statement emphasizes the importance of recognizing artists as individuals who create art, rather than ascribing them supernatural or profound roles. By dismissing artists as "prophets" or "gurus," we risk overvaluing their work or personae to an unrealistic degree. This could potentially lead to undue pressure and expectations on the artist, obscuring the essence of artistic expression which is inherently human, subjective, and diverse. Furthermore, such perceptions can distort our understanding of the art itself, detracting from its universal appeal and accessibility.

Most people live in the city and go to the country at the weekend, and that's posh and aristocratic, but actually to live in the country and come to London when you can't take it any more is different.

- Damien Hirst

London, Country, Posh, Aristocratic

When I used to do abstract paintings at school, like everyone else, the tutor said these would make great curtains. I would always neglect the formal stuff that was going on by using colour, because colour kind of came naturally to me.

- Damien Hirst

Used, Naturally, Would, Curtains

But whenever I look at the question of how to live, the answer's always staring me in the face. I'm already doing it.

- Damien Hirst

Doing, Question, Always, Answer

I was taught to confront things you can't avoid. Death is one of those things. To live in a society where you're trying not to look at it is stupid because looking at death throws us back into life with more vigour and energy. The fact that flowers don't last for ever makes them beautiful.

- Damien Hirst

Death, Stupid, Fact, Throws

It's amazing what you can do with an E in A-Level art, a twisted imagination and a chainsaw.

- Damien Hirst

Art, Amazing, Twisted, Chainsaw

No, I don't believe in genius. I believe in freedom. I think anyone can do it. Anyone can be like Rembrandt.

- Damien Hirst

Genius, Think, I Think, Rembrandt

Picasso, Michelangelo, possibly, might be verging on genius, but I don't think a painter like Rembrandt is a genius.

- Damien Hirst

Genius, Think, Painter, Rembrandt

You'd never look at a Rembrandt and say, 'That's just wood and canvas and paint - how much?!' It's all about how many people want it. It works on a pair of jeans as well - they're just material and stitching, and as soon as you walk out of the shop, they're worth nothing.

- Damien Hirst

About, Works, Shop, Rembrandt

I gave up painting by 16. I secretly thought I would have been Rembrandt by then.

- Damien Hirst

Thought, Been, Would, Rembrandt

But I'm more interested in why people are frightened by Jaws and why Jaws was such a hit than saying Spielberg's my main influence.

- Damien Hirst

Why, More, Spielberg, Jaws

I've been asked to do a retrospective since I was about 28 and I always thought that was a bit odd. It's great to look forward as an artist because in the future the possibilities are infinite; you look back and it's all fixed so it's a scary thing.

- Damien Hirst

Thought, Possibilities, Been, Retrospective

Even as a kid in drawing class, I had real ambition. I wanted to be the best in the class, but there was always some other feller who was better; so I thought, 'It can't be about being the best, it has to be about the drawing itself, what you do with it.' That's kind of stuck with me.

- Damien Hirst

Thought, Some, Other, Stuck

But I think it's more that when you're young, you're invincible, you're immortal - or at least you think you are. The possibilities are limitless, you're inventing the future. Then you get older and suddenly you have a history. It's fixed. You can't change anything. I find that a bit disturbing, to be honest.

- Damien Hirst

Possibilities, I Think, Fixed

I remember when you used to have your profession on your passport and I always thought that being a painter was the best one to be, because my heroes were Goya and Francis Bacon.

- Damien Hirst

Always, Profession, Francis

In an artwork you're always looking for artistic decisions, so an ashtray is perfect. An ashtray has got life and death.

- Damien Hirst

Art, Perfect, Always, Ashtray

I think an ashtray is the most fantastically real thing.

- Damien Hirst

Think, I Think, Most, Ashtray

I think art is good at looking back and looking forward. I don't think art is good at looking head-on. At the end of the day, people are more important than paintings.

- Damien Hirst

Art, Looking Back, Think, Head-On

'Painting like a child' isn't a negative for me... it's something only great artists can really achieve. The childlike quality of some of Picasso's drawings is precisely what makes them so masterful and extraordinary; the ability to express complete visions, feelings and portraits through a continuous line.

- Damien Hirst

Through, Some, Masterful, Visions

Great art - or good art - is when you look at it, experience it and it stays in your mind. I don't think conceptual art and traditional art are all that different.

- Damien Hirst

Art, Mind, Think, Good Art

Making art, good art, is always a struggle. It can make you happy when you pull it off. There's no better feeling. It's beauteous. But it's always about hard work and inspiration and sweat and good ideas.

- Damien Hirst

Happy, Good Ideas, About, Good Art

I always look at money not as a motivating factor but as an element in the composition. You can't ignore it, but you've got to be very careful that it's not motivating you.

- Damien Hirst

Always, Motivating, Very, Factor

I always feel a bit trapped when a painting goes for millions of pounds and only one person can have it. If you can have that as well as a poster on every student's wall, then you're in a very enviable position. I'd like to do a Damien Hirst for £500 at some point.

- Damien Hirst

Student, Some, Very, Poster

People don't like contemporary art, but all art starts life as contemporary - I can't really see a difference.

- Damien Hirst

Art, People, Like, Contemporary Art

The goal in life is to be solid, whereas the way that life works is totally fluid, so you can never actually achieve that goal.

- Damien Hirst

Goal, Solid, Works, Whereas

It'd be nice to make lots of money but it's quite difficult, because every time I make lots of money I make a bigger piece that costs lots of money.

- Damien Hirst

Bigger, Difficult, Costs, Every Time

A painting probably is the most shocking increase in value, from what it costs to make to what you sell it for.

- Damien Hirst

Painting, Costs, Most, Shocking

People always say that my work is sensational or shocking but there are truly shocking things you could do, and my sculptures don't go anywhere near that.

- Damien Hirst

Work, Always, Sculptures, Shocking

My Mum brought me up to believe that if you look after the pennies then the pounds look after themselves, and I could never do it.

- Damien Hirst

Could, Brought, Mum, Pennies

Whenever I've been well-known or hitting the press, I've always had to get my credit card out to prove I'm Damien Hirst.

- Damien Hirst

Always, Been, Well-Known, Card

I've had laser eye surgery and I don't wear glasses any more, so people just go, 'You're not Damien Hirst.' I don't get recognized on the street.

- Damien Hirst

Go, More, Wear, Laser

I'm 43. I'm not ready to sit down in a chair with my name on it yet.

- Damien Hirst

Name, Chair, Ready, Sit

I used to watch 'Top of the Pops' when I was a kid and say 'Yeah!' or 'Boo!' at every single song. So there was nothing in the middle. You brutally put it on one side or another.

- Damien Hirst

Song, Side, Boo, Brutally

When it comes to the British monarchy, I prefer to be seduced by an image than presented with a real person. It's kind of a Warhol thing.

- Damien Hirst

Monarchy, Image, Warhol, Presented

I was brought up Catholic, and I felt the power of art from a very young age - seeing the brutality of all those images of flayed apostles and tortured saints was a pretty strong introduction.

- Damien Hirst

Art, Very, Images, Catholic

I think money is important for everyone, because the lack of it is so painful.

- Damien Hirst

Think, Important, I Think, Painful

The difference between art about death and actual death is that one's a celebration and the other's a dull fact.

- Damien Hirst

Art, Celebration, Actual, Dull

Since I was a child, death is definitely something that I think about every day. But I think that everybody does. You try and avoid it, but it's such a big thing that you can't.

- Damien Hirst

Think, Big, Everybody, Big Thing

Painting is so poetic, while sculpture is more logical and scientific and makes you worry about gravity.

- Damien Hirst

Worry, More, Poetic, Sculpture

Kids are naturally gifted at art from a very young age. The problem is when they get older and become self-conscious. The process should always be fun, though.

- Damien Hirst

Always, Very, Self-Conscious, Young Age

The idea of going on tour for the rest of my life with old works is not that exciting. As an artist I definitely think the work in future is going to be better than the work in the past, otherwise why do it?

- Damien Hirst

Rest, In The Past, Otherwise, Tour

I've spent a long time avoiding painting and dealing with it from a distance. But as I get older, I'm more comfortable with it.

- Damien Hirst

Distance, More, Dealing, Older

It's a great advantage to be able to play people off against each other, isn't it? You go to Christie's and get a quote on something. And then you go to Phillips' and you tell them what Christie's has given you. I like auctions for artists.

- Damien Hirst

Play, Other, Against, Great Advantage

The spot paintings and spin paintings were trying to find mechanical ways to make paintings.

- Damien Hirst

Ways, Paintings, Were, Spin

There was a point I could have just churned out the spot and spin paintings for ever and laughed all the way to the bank.

- Damien Hirst

Could, Point, Laughed, Spin

But it's like the horror of being in a studio with a blank canvas. I used to always run out of ideas because there are so many possibilities and I would just think, well what am I going to do now!

- Damien Hirst

Possibilities, Studio, Blank, Blank Canvas

That's the great thing about art. Anybody can do it if you just believe. With practice, you can make great paintings.

- Damien Hirst

Art, Practice, Anybody, Great Thing

Artists are like everybody else.

- Damien Hirst

Like, Artists, Everybody, Everybody Else

But the answer to how to live is to stop thinking about it. And just to live. But you're doing that anyway. However you intellectualise it, you still just live.

- Damien Hirst

Doing, Still, However, Anyway

Immortality is really desirable, I guess. In terms of images, anyway.

- Damien Hirst

Immortality, Images, Guess, Anyway

For me, art is always a kind of theater. When I started the spot paintings, I made them as an endless series. But I was never serious about it being an endless series. It was just an implied endless series. The theater means you just have to make it look good for that moment in the spotlight.

- Damien Hirst

Good, About, Endless, Spotlight

Sometimes when you're drunk you can see better.

- Damien Hirst

Better, Sometimes, See, Drunk

So smoking is the perfect way to commit suicide without actually dying. I smoke because it's bad, it's really simple.

- Damien Hirst

Suicide, Perfect, Bad, Smoking

I used to believe I was going to live forever. And then you suddenly become aware that you're not.

- Damien Hirst

Used, Aware, Going, Suddenly

It's good to have a title that's not just one word. If you're gonna title it, you might as well try and say something.

- Damien Hirst

Say, Might, Gonna, Title

I have always been aware that you have to get people listening before you can change their minds. Any artist's big fear is being ignored, so if you get debate, that's great.

- Damien Hirst

Listening, Big, Always, Being Ignored

Museums are for dead artists. I'd never show my work in the Tate. You'd never get me in that place.

- Damien Hirst

Work, Dead, Show, Tate

As a father, I would say I am more like a mother. I do a lot of hugging.

- Damien Hirst

Mother, I Am, Lot, Hugging

I realised that you couldn't use the tools of yesterday to communicate today's world. Basically, that was the big light that went on in my head.

- Damien Hirst

Big, Communicate, Realised, Basically

You need a big ego to be an artist.

- Damien Hirst

Artist, Big, Need, Ego

I think I've always been afraid of painting, really. Right from the beginning. All my paintings are about painting without a painter. Like a kind of mechanical form of painting.

- Damien Hirst

Think, Always, Been, Mechanical

For me, art is always a kind of theater.

- Damien Hirst

Art, Kind, Always, Theater

A lot of people thought I wasn't doing anything because I was spending a lot of time socialising and going out, but I've always managed to get work actually done.

- Damien Hirst

Thought, Doing, Always, Spending

I think I like big issues, but I don't believe in God or religion.

- Damien Hirst

Think, Big, I Think, Issues

I think suicide is the most perfect thing you can do in life.

- Damien Hirst

Think, I Think, Most, Thing

Being best is a false goal, you have to measure success on your own terms.

- Damien Hirst

Goal, Measure, Terms, False

I made one untitled piece.

- Damien Hirst

Made, Piece

The idea of being a painter, I've always thought, is better than being an artist or a sculptor.

- Damien Hirst

Better, Always, Sculptor, Painter

I had a passport where I wrote 'artist' under 'occupation' and I remember thinking, 'That's it, it's proved!'

- Damien Hirst

I Remember, Occupation, Wrote

I always ignore money.

- Damien Hirst

Money, Always, Ignore

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