Damien Hirst

"Relationships" 1991

Glass, ping ball, and paper with artist's box
"Loving look" 2004

Butterflies and household gloss on canvas

"The Kingdom" 2008

Tiger shark, glass, steel, silicone, and formaldehyde solution with steel plinth
"The Hours Spin Skull" 2008

Colored lacquer and watch face/plastic skull

"20 Pills" 2004-2005

oil on canvas

Damien First is a British artist, born on June 7^th, 1965 in Bristol, UK. He was one of the most famous artists that has been recognized as a “Young British Artists” He is know for Natural History series in his art work on nature and animals. He studied at the fine arts of Goldsmith’s college and then University of London from 1986-1989. Damien’s first solo exhibition was “In and out of Love” that was held at the Woodstock street Gallery in London, 1991. After this point, many of his work was based on large virtues, dead animals and pharmacological support. One of his greatest accomplishments was when he won the Turner Prize in 1995.

"But I always liked the fact that you get these totally unacceptable images, but they're taken by a really expensive photographer, with great light, and in terms of the quality of the photograph it's a great photograph, but in terms of imagery it's unacceptable, and I like that contradiction." Damien Hirst

"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

I just really enjoyed the above quotes Damien stated. I think it really relates to his work and gives it a much more understanding.

http://metroartwork.com/damien-hirst-biography-artwork-m-91.html

Thomas Grunfeld

Antenne

2007

Materials: Fliz

Maggie

2006

Materials: Fliz

Grutelbaum

2007

Materials: Fliz

Belphegor

2007

Materials: Fliz

3 Locher

2009
Materials: Fliz

Thomas Grunfeld was born in 1956 in Opladen, Germany. There's not much information about his life or career on the internet except that he is most famous for his "misfit" taxidermy collection in which he combines two completely different animals together to make a hybrid animal. I didn't post his taxidermy work because its kind of creepy to me, but what I posted I really like. The Belphegor piece interests me the most. When I looked up the meaning of Belphegor, it said that it is a demon who helps people make discoveries and get rich from them. When I look at the piece I see a helpless, sad person, not a demon. It makes me question how he perceives demons.