Damien Hirst was born in Bristol in 1965. He ?rst came to public attention in 1988 when he conceived and curated Freeze, an exhibition of his own work and that of his contemporaries staged in an abandoned warehouse. Since then Hirst has become widely recognised as one of the most in?uential artists of his generation. In 2012 Tate Modern, London exhibited the most comprehensive survey of Hirst's work to be held in the UK to date. In 2013-14 the artist exhibited his largest retrospective so far in Doha, Qatar, curated by the internationally renowned writer, critic and curator, Francesco Bonami. Hirst's work can be found in many of today's most important international art collections.