Damien Hirst Quotes

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Seduced, Monarchy

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

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Sculptor, Thought

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

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Celebration, Actual

• For me, art is always a kind of theater.

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Theater

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

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Measure, Being

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Invincible, Limitless

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Passport, I Remember

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Realised, Light

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Confront, Flowers

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

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Suddenly, Forever

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

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Shocking, Painting

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Debate, Ignored

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

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Art

• Sometimes I have nothing to say. I often want to communicate this.

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Uncategorized

• You have to step over the boundaries sometimes just to find out where they are.

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Uncategorized

• What I really like is minimum effort for maximum effect. Like with Picasso’s Bull’s Head—a bike seat and handlebars.

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Uncategorized

• 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

  Topics in Work

  Tags in Time

• Artists are like everybody else.

  Damien Hirst

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Like

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in People, Frightened

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Think, Live

Damien Hirst (57)

Birth:	7th June, 1965
Nationality:	British
Profession:	Artist

About

Damien Steven Hirst is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists, who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly the United Kingdom's richest living artist, with his wealth valued at £215m in the 2010 Sunday Times Rich List. During the 1990s his career was closely linked with the collector Charles Saatchi, but increasing frictions came to a head in 2003 and the relationship ended.

Related Authors

• Olafur Eliasson
• Albert Pinkham Ryder
• Robert Crumb
• Vince Passaro
• Mike Shinoda
• Jay Woodman
• Beatrice Wood
• M. C. Escher
• Howard Finster
• Derek Jarman

Advertisement

Today's Anniversary - 21st January

Births

• 1884 - Roger Nash Baldwin
• 1922 - Telly Savalas
• 1950 - Robert Luskin
• 1962 - Marie Trintignant
• 1941 - Placido Domingo

Deaths

• 1932 - Lytton Strachey
• 1870 - Alexander Herzen
• 1924 - Vladimir Lenin
• 2008 - Evan G. Galbraith
• 1997 - Colonel Tom Parker