Damien Hirst: Leeds, then the World

Sun

Mar

Written by Adam Millar

Artist, opportunist, visionary or conman...since his rise to fame in the early 1990's everyone has had a different opinion about Mr. Damien Hirst. Some see his creations, such as his most famous piece 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living' (a 14 foot tiger shark preserved in formaldehyde inside a vitrine), to be nothing short of genius – addressing the uncertainty at the core of human experience; love, life, death, loyalty and betrayal through unexpected and unconventional media. Others, such as renowned art critic Brian Sewell, afford them no more credit than the gaudy stuffed animals you might find at a country fair: "I don't think of it as art ... It is no more interesting than a stuffed pike over a pub door.”

Regardless of your opinion of Hirst, one thing is certain; he is one of the most successful British artists of our time, and the most obscenely wealthy. His pieces regularly sell for millions, regardless of his critics doubts over their artistic merit. You might remember in September 2008, he took the unusual approach of selling a complete show, 'Beautiful Inside My Head Forever', at Sotheby's by auction; by-passing his long-standing galleries. The sale exceeded all expectations, raising £111 million and breaking the record for a one-artist auction.
Despite being born in Bristol, Hirst grew up in Leeds and this is where his development as a young artist began.

It was his mother that encouraged his penchant for drawing, which at school was Hirst's only successful subject. Despite poor academic results, he managed to enter sixth form largely due to his art teachers pleadings, where he studied art at A level. However his 'E' grade was not sufficient to gain him a place at Leeds College of Art and Design the first time round. Hirst would have to wait another year before making a successful application.His time at Leeds College was poorly spent, Hirst taking a lackluster approach and being generally apathetic towards his studies. His return to Leeds College to exhibit this April is sure to provoke and inspire subscribe now in our events listings. One LCAD graphic design tutor revels even today in showing his students a photograph of the spot painting that hangs in one of the hallways, obscured by a huge mound of litter one of the cleaners had placed there. Hirst's spot paintings are a series of coloured dots in a grid pattern and often named after chemicals. Despite selling for huge sums, it's easy to see how the cleaner could have mistaken this painting for the cheap, decorative posters found in the high street and deemed the place as good as any to rest some rubbish against. It's this perceived lack of effort on Hirst's part that seems to grate on the tutors here, who feel that his success is testament to the folly of today's art market. Hirst himself once said: “I can't wait to get into a position to make really bad art and get away with it. At the moment if I did certain things people would look at it, consider it and then say f**k off. But after a while you can get away with things.” Perhaps because they taught him when he was an unknown entity, Hirsts tutors at the college think he has been getting away with it for too long.
After his tenure at Leeds College of Art and Design, Hirst applied to Goldsmiths College, London. Again, he was refused a place the first time round...probably due to the poor write-up he received from his previous course, as he himself admits. However, he was successful on his next application and this was the place where Hirst would find himself at the forefront of a new movement, the Young British Artists (YBA's). The YBA's as they were to become known, were a group of art students from Goldsmiths who realised they had common methods and aims. Although Damien is now the most recognised of the YBA's, other names such as Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas won't be unheard of. Hirst graduated in 1988, and didn't have to wait long to get his big break. In 1991, the famed art collector Charles Saatchi had become aware of Hirst's work, and offered to fund whatever piece Hirst wanted to make. The result was showcased in 1992 in the first Young British Artists exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in North London. The piece 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living' costing £50,000, a meagre sum considering it would later sell for the second highest price made by any living British artist. Along with the aforementioned spot paintings, preserving animals in formaldehyde was a central theme of Hirst's work, his collected pieces becoming known as the 'Natural History Series' and often selling for several million dollars.
It is impossible to deny his success. What has led to this success is largely the divisive nature of his work; many people love or loathe him, but very few indeed are indifferent. Throughout his career Hirst has striven to provoke, to challenge boundaries between art, science and popular culture, even to offend. From his early days at Leeds College of Art and Design Hirst has developed the ability to aggravate...it's this ability, together with his energy and inventiveness, that has made him a leading artist of his generation.

© Adam Millar

Edited by Helen [Admin]