Damien Hirst: Morbid Fascination

From the outset of his career, Hirst devised a fool-proof strategy for grabbing the public's and critics' attention. His provocative art addresses death and rebirth - vanities and beauty - morality, medicine and technology.As a young and virtually unknown artist, Hirst climbed far and fast. His shark, suspended in a tank of formaldehyde, wowed and repulsed audiences in 1991. Like the French artist Marcel Duchamp, Hirst employed ready-made objects to shocking effect, and in the process, he questioned the very nature of art.Love him or hate him, Hirst was a visionary in anticipating the needs of the contemporary art market. One could argue, as some have, that this in itself is a form of art.