The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living

An artist named Damien Hirst made a famous work.

It is a large tiger shark. The shark is in a glass tank. It sits in a special liquid. This liquid keeps the shark from breaking down. The first shark began to change over time. So, a new shark was used in 2006. The artist wanted it to look real. This art makes people think and wonder. It is a very big piece of art.

Damien Hirst is a famous English artist. In 1991, he made a very well-known work.

It is called "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living." The art is a large tiger shark. It sits inside a big glass tank. The tank is filled with a liquid called formalin. This liquid helps keep the shark from rotting. Hirst wanted a shark big enough to eat you.

The first shark began to break down over time. The liquid became cloudy and murky. Because of this, the shark was replaced in 2006. A new shark was caught near Australia. It was sent to Hirst on a long journey. A scientist helped to preserve the new shark. This new shark was kept in the original glass case.

Some people have strong feelings about this art. Some critics do not think a shark is art. Others wonder about using animals for art. Hirst has made other works with sharks too. He even made a tiny version with a small guppy fish. This artwork is a famous symbol of British art.

Damien Hirst is a famous English artist from a group called the Young British Artists. His most famous work was made in 1991. It has a very long name: "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living."

This artwork is a symbol of modern British art. It shows a large tiger shark held inside a glass case. The shark stays still in a liquid called formalin. Hirst wanted the shark to be big enough to eat a person. This makes the viewer feel a strong sense of wonder and fear at the same time.

Making this art was a very big and expensive job. The businessman Charles Saatchi helped pay for it in 1991. The shark itself cost £6,000 to get. The total cost to make the whole piece was £50,000.

To get the shark, a fisherman caught one near Hervey Bay in Australia. Hirst even got help from Doris Lockhart to pay for shipping. She gave him the money as a gift. In return, she chose another piece of art from his studio. This shows how much teamwork goes into big art projects.

There is a long history of changes for this shark. The first shark did not stay perfect for long. It began to decay and the liquid became cloudy. In 1993, the gallery tried to fix it using a fiberglass mould. Hirst said the shark did not look as scary after that.

Later, the shark was replaced with a new one in 2006. This new shark was a female about 25 to 30 years old. A scientist named Oliver Crimmen helped preserve it. They used a 7% formalin solution to keep it safe.

People have many different ideas about this artwork. Some people think it is a great piece of art. Others, like the Stuckists, say a dead shark is not art.

Some critics even called the art market a "cultural obscenity." Other people worry about using animals to make art. One estimate says many creatures have been used in Hirst's work. Even so, Hirst says his work is special because he is the one who made it. He has made many other shark works like "The Immortal" and "Death Denied."

This shark is part of a much bigger world of art. Hirst has made many other things with animals in liquid. He made a tiny version of the shark work using a small guppy fish.

He also made art using a cow, a sheep, and a dove. Some of his works even use real gold. These works help people think about life and death. They show how art can use real things to tell big stories. This shark remains one of the most famous examples in the world.

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living is a famous sculpture by English artist Damien Hirst. Created in 1991, this work is a key symbol of the "Young British Artists" movement, often called "Britart." The piece consists of a large tiger shark submerged in a glass-panel display case. The shark is held in a 5% formaldehyde solution, which is a chemical used for preservation. This artwork is meant to create a visceral, direct experience for the viewer. It forces people to confront the idea of life and death simultaneously. The shark appears suspended and silent, yet its size makes it feel powerful.

The creation of this piece required significant funding and logistics. Businessman Charles Saatchi commissioned the work in 1991. He offered to pay for whatever artwork Hirst wanted to make. The shark itself cost £6,000, while the total cost of the project was £50,000. To transport the shark from Australia, Hirst received a gift from Doris Lockhart. She provided the money for shipping, and in return, she chose a piece from his studio called "The Only Way is Up." The shark was caught by a fisherman near Hervey Bay in Queensland, Australia. Hirst specifically wanted a specimen big enough to "eat you."

Technical challenges arose because the original shark began to deteriorate. The preservation was not perfect, causing the liquid to become murky. In 1993, the Saatchi Gallery attempted to fix this by skinning the shark. They stretched the skin over a fiberglass mould, turning it into a taxidermy mount. Hirst felt this change ruined the impact of the work. He noted that the shark lost its weight and no longer looked frightening. This led to a major decision regarding the replacement of the specimen.

When the work was sold to Steven A. Cohen in 2004, a new shark was commissioned. The cost for the formaldehyde process alone was approximately $100,000. A new female tiger shark, aged between 25 and 30 years, was caught off the Queensland coast. It underwent a two-month journey to reach Hirst. Scientist Oliver Crimmen helped with the preservation process in 2006. This involved injecting formaldehyde into the body and soaking it in a 7% formalin solution. The original 1991 vitrine, or glass case, was reused for this new specimen.

This replacement sparked a philosophical debate in the art world. Hirst argued that the "intention" of the artist is more important than the original physical material. He believes the piece remains the same because the concept is unchanged. However, many conservators and artists hold different opinions on this matter. The sale of the work has also been a major topic of discussion. While the exact price was undisclosed, reports suggest it sold for at least $8 million. Some books suggest the value may have been as high as $12 million.

Public response to the artwork has been highly divided. Some critics have expressed strong disapproval of the piece. In 2003, the Stuckism International Gallery held an exhibition titled "A Dead Shark Isn't Art." They suggested Hirst may have been inspired by a shop display in London. Other critics, such as Robert Hughes, called the art market a "cultural obscenity." Some people also raise ethical questions about using animals in art. One estimate suggests that 913,450 creatures have been used in Hirst's various works.

Hirst has expanded on this theme through many different variants. He has created several other shark works, such as "The Immortal" and "Death Denied." Some of these, like "Death Explained," show a shark split in two. He also explores different scales, including a miniature version using a tiny guppy fish. Other works feature different animals, such as a cow, a sheep, or a dove. Some pieces even incorporate expensive materials like 18-carat gold. These works all connect to his larger exploration of life, death, and the natural world.