ID: 700008413 Page link: http://vocab.getty.edu/page/cona/700008413	Record Type: Movable Work

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (installation (exhibition); Damien Hirst (English sculptor, installation artist, and pai...; 1991; United States (North and Central America, World, Top of the ...)

Note: The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living is a large installation piece created by "Young British Artists" (or YBA) member Damien Hirst in 1991. It consists of a large tiger shark preserved in formaldehyde in a vitrine. The work was commissioned by Charles Saatchi in 1991 who sold it in 2004, to Steven A. Cohen for an undisclosed amount, estimated to be anywhere from 8-12 million. When the original specimen began to decompose, it was replaced with a new specimen in 2006. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City displayed the work from 2007 to 2010. It is considered the iconic work of YBA movement.

Titles:

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (preferred,C,U,undetermined,U,U)

Catalog Level: item

Work Types:

installation (exhibition) [300182935] (preferred)

..... (Objects Facet, Components (hierarchy name), components (objects parts), <components by specific context>, architectural elements, <architectural elements by building type>)

Classifications:

performance art (preferred)

Creation Date: 1991

Creator Display:

Damien Hirst (English sculptor, installation artist, and painter, born 1965) [preferred,VP]

installation artist Hirst, Damien (English sculptor, installation artist, and painter, born 1965) [500057379]

Locations:

Current: United States [7012149] (Geographic)

Display Materials: glass, painted steel, silicone, monofilament, shark, and formaldehyde solution

	glass (material) [300010797]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by composition>, inorganic material)

	steel (alloy) [300133751]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by composition>, inorganic material, metal, <metal by composition or origin>, <iron and iron alloy>, iron alloy)

	silicone [300014558]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by composition>, organic material, plastic (material), <plastic by property>, thermoset)

	Selachii (order) [300249658]
	.......(Agents Facet, Living Organisms (hierarchy name), living organisms (entities), Eukaryota (domain), Animalia (kingdom), Chordata (phylum), Vertebrata (subphylum), Chondrichthyes (class), Elasmobranchii (subclass))

	formaldehyde [300013020]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by composition>, organic material)

	monofilament [300014636]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by form>, filament (material))

Dimensions: 217 cm. x 54 cm. x 180 cm.

Cultures:

British (preferred)

Style/Period/Group/Movement:

	Young British Art [300263412] (preferred,N/A)
	.....(Styles and Periods Facet, Styles and Periods (hierarchy name), <styles| periods| and cultures by region>, <international post-1945 styles and movements>, <post-1945 fine arts styles and movements>)

General Subject:

animals (preferred,isness)

Specific Subjects:

	shark [300249658]
	.....(Agents Facet, Living Organisms (hierarchy name), living organisms (entities), Eukaryota (domain), Animalia (kingdom), Chordata (phylum), Vertebrata (subphylum), Chondrichthyes (class), Elasmobranchii (subclass)) (AAT)

List/Hierarchical Position:

..... Movable Works

.......... Movable Works by class: performance art or installations

Sources and Contributors:
The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living	........ [VP]
	........ Damien Hirst (2012) 72

Subject: ....... [VP]

....................... Adams, Sensation (1997)

Note:
English	..... [VP]
	..... Damien Hirst (2012) 72