Damien Hirst was born in Bristol in 1965 and grew up in Leeds (Yorkshire) with his mother, Mary Brennan, and his stepfather.

Many believe this exhibition to be the launching point of the "Young British Artists" movement. After seeing Hirst`s work at the show, Charles Saatchi, began to collect his work and exhibited it in the first "Charles Saatchi`s Young British Artists" show. In 1990, Saatchi bought Hirst's "A Thousand Years", since that point Hirst has consistently produced work that has been provocative and ground breaking.

Since 1992 Hirst has organized a succession of exhibitions that have helped define a generation, one completely different from previous generations of artists. The Young British Artists are characterized by their independence, entrepreneurial spirit and media acumen. Most promote their own shows and tend to draw in private patrons such as Charles Saatchi.

The central, though not exclusive, theme of Hirst's work has been an exploration of mortality. Hirst is best known for a series of works (The Natural History Series) in which dead animals, preserved in formaldehyde in a glass tank, are presented with the artwork having a strong visual power that is unmatched by almost any description of it. It truly needs to been seen and many people attribute this body of work for Hirst's short listing for the 1992 Turner Prize which he later won in 1995.

Hirst's work is so provocative that even his own supporters go through stages of acclaim and disdain! He blames the negative reactions upon the press saying that the media corrupts the public's view and that the public never goes to see the artwork in person, to judge for themselves.

Hirst's work includes his controversial animals exhibits, sculptures, spot and spin paintings. Hirst's work has some recurring themes such as cigarettes, something he considers to be "theoretical suicide" and medical paraphernalia.