Hirst, DamienBritish, 1965Still
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
Art Institute of Chicago
Room295Chicago, United States
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
This early work by Damien Hirst is representative of the artist’s well-known series Medicine Cabinets. In Still, a glimmering glass display case is lined with equally reflective medical devices and surgical equipment, neatly arranged side by side. The orderliness of this collection of pristine
objects plays on our fears of and fascination with modern medicine: the sculpture was specifically inspired by David Cronenberg’s 1988 film Dead Ringers, a psychological thriller about twin doctors. While Hirst’s practice has been described as sensationalist, he identifies himself as a “realist.” In 1996 he explained, “I have always been after a kind of realism. I didn’t want a painting of something. I wanted the thing itself.”
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Particulars
- Accession number
- 2015.142
Meanwhile, in the life of Hirst, Damien
The whole life1984–2009 · Workplace
London
1992
The first Young British Artists exhibition
The first Young British Artists exhibition opens at the Saatchi Gallery in North London; Hirst shows the shark The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living and A Thousand Years.
1992
Nominated for the Turner Prize
As a result of the show Hirst is nominated for the Turner Prize, but it goes to Grenville Davey.
1992–2012
Life with Maia Norman
From 1992 to 2012 Hirst lives with the American Maia Norman; their three sons are born in 1995, 2000 and 2005. They were never married, but Hirst called her his “common-law wife”.
1993
The Venice Biennale: Mother and Child Divided
His first major international recognition: a cow and a calf cut into sections and placed in separate tanks of formaldehyde.
1996
First solo show at Gagosian in New York
His first solo show at the Gagosian Gallery in New York, No Sense of Absolute Corruption, is staged.
