How Much is Damien Hirst Worth? Damien Hirst's Assets & Salary in Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets

As one of the most talked-about figures, Damien Hirst has built a significant fortune. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What is Damien Hirst's Net Worth?

Damien Hirst is an English artist who has a net worth of $700 million. Damien Hirst rose to fame in the 90s as a member of the Young British Artists. He is particularly well known for his series of sculptures featuring dead animals that have been preserved in formaldehyde, with his most renowned piece being "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living." In 2008, Hirst broke ground by bypassing the galleries and selling a complete show by auction at Sotheby's. The sale generated nearly $200 million.Damien Hirst is considered the richest living artistin the world.

Early Life and Education

Damien Hirst was born as Damien Brennan on June 7, 1965 in Bristol, England to an Irish single mother. When he was two, his mother married his stepfather; they divorced a decade later. Hirst was raised in Leeds, where he went to Allerton Grange School. He was a rebellious youth, much to the chagrin of his mother, and was arrested twice for shoplifting. For his higher education, Hirst applied to Jacob Kramer College, which initially rejected him. However, he ended up attending after submitting a second, successful application. After working on building sites in London for a couple of years, Hirst returned to school to study fine art at Goldsmiths College. While there, he worked at a mortuary, an experience that became formative to his later artworks.

Career Beginnings

During his second year at Goldsmiths, Hirst served as the primary organizer of an independent student exhibition called "Freeze," to which he also contributed artwork. He went on to both curate and exhibit in a number of shows after that. In 1990, at a show called "Gambler," Hirst exhibited his first major animal installation, "A Thousand Years." The work featured a decaying cow's head covered in maggots and flies, all encased in glass.

Rise to Fame in the 90s

Hirst held his first solo exhibition, "In and Out of Love," in London in 1991. BusinessmanCharles Saatchi, a longtime admirer of Hirst's work, subsequently offered to fund his next major artwork. The result was "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living," which was showcased at the inaugural Young British Artists exhibition at London's Saatchi Gallery in 1992. Featuring a tiger shark preserved in formaldehyde inside of a vitrine, the piece sold for £50,000 and became Hirst's most famous work. The next year, Hirst made his first major international presentation at the Venice Biennale with "Mother and Child Divided," featuring a dissected cow and calf. In 1994, he curated the show "Some Went Mad, Some Ran Away," where he showcased his work "Away from the Flock." Notably, the piece was vandalized by artist Mark Bridger, who was given two years' probation. The installation was eventually restored.

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Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.