Why is Damien Hirst’s work controversial?

Damien Hirst’s art is so controversial largely because he intends for it to be. In the 1990s, Hirst said, “I can’t wait to get into a position to make really bad art and get away with it.” And indeed, he is notorious for piquing critics and baffling the public with such pieces as his signature glass vitrines containing dead sheep or sharks in formaldehyde, and his diamond-encrusted skull, For the Love of God. Working primarily in sculpture, Hirst takes after French modernist master Marcel Duchamp in his use of ready-made objects and materials, which he combines to ironic effect, and the results are met with mixed reactions. Shop a selection of Damien Hirst art from some of the world’s top galleries on 1stDibs.