Damien Hirst's Success and Achievements in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: October 8, 2025

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Damien Hirst. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Damien Hirst is a prominent English artist and art collector, known as one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who significantly impacted the UK art world in the 1990s. Reputedly the wealthiest living artist in the UK, Hirst's career was initially intertwined with collector Charles Saatchi. Their collaborative relationship eventually dissolved due to growing tensions in 2003. Hirst's work is often characterized by controversial themes and materials, solidifying his place as a major figure in contemporary art.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1992: Turner Prize Nomination

In 1992, Damien Hirst was nominated for the Turner Prize for his first Young British Artists exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in North London, which included his 'The Physical Impossibility of Death...'. However, the award went to Grenville Davey that year.

1992: Young British Artists Exhibition and Turner Prize Nomination

In 1992, Hirst's shark in formaldehyde artwork, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, was showcased at the first Young British Artists exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery and sold for £50,000. Hirst was nominated for the Turner Prize that year.

1995: Turner Prize Win

Damien Hirst won the Turner Prize in 1995.

September 2000: New York Exhibition

In September 2000, Larry Gagosian held Damien Hirst's show, Damien Hirst: Models, Methods, Approaches, Assumptions, Results and Findings, in New York. It attracted 100,000 visitors in 12 weeks and all the work was sold.

September 2003: Exhibition and Sculpture Sale

In September 2003, Damien Hirst's exhibition Romance in the Age of Uncertainty at Jay Jopling's White Cube gallery in London, made him a reported £11m. His sculpture, Charity, was sold for £1.5m to Kim Chang-Il.

June 2007: World Record for Lullaby Spring

In June 2007, Damien Hirst's 'Lullaby Spring', a 3-metre-wide steel cabinet with 6,136 pills, sold for 19.2 million dollars to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar. This sale set a world record for the most expensive work of art by a living artist.

September 2008: Beautiful Inside My Head Forever Auction

In September 2008, Damien Hirst bypassed galleries by auctioning his complete show, Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, at Sotheby's. The auction raised £111 million ($198 million) and broke the record for a one-artist auction, including £10.3 million for The Golden Calf.

2008: Beautiful Inside My Head Forever auction raises US$198 million

In 2008, Damien Hirst's auction, Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, raised US$198 million.

2009: Hirst placed at joint number 238 in Sunday Times Rich List

In 2009, Damien Hirst was placed at joint number 238 with a net worth of £235m in the annually collated chart of the wealthiest individuals in Britain and Ireland, Sunday Times Rich List.

2010: Hirst is Britain's wealthiest artist

In 2010, Damien Hirst's wealth was valued at £215m in the Sunday Times Rich List, making him Britain's wealthiest artist.

2011: Named One of the Most Important Artists

In 2011, Damien Hirst was listed in Blake Gopnik's "The 10 Most Important Artists of Today", with Gopnik interpreting Hirst's career as "a metaphor for how consumption has become our guiding force".

January 2013: Design of Brit Awards Statue

In January 2013, Damien Hirst became the third British artist to design the Brit Awards statue, using his signature NEO-Pop art style inspired by his 2000 LSD "spot painting."