Work By Renowned British Artist Damien Hirst on Display for First Time in Boston

Newbury Street is known for its art, and doesn't disappoint, with a current display of work by renowned British artist Damien Hirst.

Internationally known, and perhaps the richest living artist in England, this is the first time he's been showcased in Boston. The exhibit runs through Dec. 10.

"We are very fortunate to have, in particular, works by Hirst which are not even yet available in London," said Theresa Calabro, a Senior Fine Art Consultant at DTR Modern Galleries. "This is something quite unique in Boston."

Hirst is perhaps most famous for The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, which features a 14-foot-long tiger shark preserved in a glass tank of formaldehyde. Themes of preservation and suspension in time and space, as well as the "natural versus the commercial," often influence the artist's work.

In addition to his glass tank installations, he's also known for his medicine cabinet sculptures, striking variations on skulls. A  key player in the Young British Artists movement that dominated the London art scene throughout the 1990's, his work is exhibited at London's Tate Modern and MoMa in New York.

What to look for when you go

Highlights of the current exhibit include Tyloxapol and Norleucine, the latest additions of Hirst's iconic "dot series," of randomly colored circles -- in this case much more textured than expected. Hurst is also a master of "spin paintings," created on a spinning circular surface. Sanctum 2 and Sanctum 4 are especially mesmerizing, reminiscent of stained glass windows found in cathedrals.

Other famous Brits

The current exhibition, "British Invasion," also showcases paintings by Anish Kapoor, who is currently working on sculptures to salute the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Of particular interest is the painting Shadow II Navy Blue, exemplifying Kapoor's aim to "manipulate the viewer into a specific relations with both space and time."

The third Brit to be featured is Marc Quinn, whose work, At the Far Edges of the Universe shows close-up images and plays with themes of surface and depth. Quinn is particularly famous for his self-portrait called Self, which is (literally) a frozen sculpture of the artist's head made from 4.5 liters of his own blood. The blood was taken from the artist's body over a period of 5 months when he was in his 20's.

DTR Modern Galleries, which has locations in New York and Palm Beach, frequently exhibits 20th century masters such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Juan Miró, Henri Mattisse, Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol. The gallery also provides private in-home consultations, and rents out space for corporate and charity events.