VIENNA.- Damien Hirst is world-renowned—less well known are his drawings, which are celebrating their world premiere in this exhibition and can be seen in a museum show for the first time. From May 7 to October 12, 2025, the ALBERTINA is presenting Damien Hirst - Drawings, showcasing Hirst's broad range of drawings, from early sketches to conceptual designs.
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“All children draw and paint but for various reasons most of them stop and become bank managers or policemen or whatever. I’ve always drawn for as long as I can remember. I’ve seen drawing as the beginning of creativity. It’s raw, it’s personal, it’s where ideas can first take shape. Showing these works now feels like revealing the chaotic inner workings of my mind. And inviting people to make their own drawings using the spin machine that I created means they’re not just observing the art – they are doing more than that: they are getting involved, and they get to feel like an artist again, and experience the creative process with all its raw, healing energy and power”, says Damien Hirst.
“Damien Hirst is one of the most important artists of our time. His paintings, sculptures, and installations have gained international recognition; his drawings, however, are still relatively unknown. The ALBERTINA MODERN is now opening up new perspectives on Hirst's oeuvre and offering fascinating insights into his creative processes. In keeping with the motto 'Rediscover the ALBERTINA', we are not only showing a completely unknown work by one of the world's most famous artists. The public will also be actively involved in the exhibition and can get creative themselves with a drawing machine specially made by the artist. Together, we want to experience art in a new way! A special focus is placed on Hirst's conceptual approach to the medium of drawing: drawings serve not only as preliminary studies, but are often independent artistic works in their own right or document the considerations underlying the realization of his most important series”, says Ralph Gleis, Director General of the ALBERTINA.
“The exhibition shows early drawings from the 1980s that were created in the context of groundbreaking projects. On display are sketches, preparatory drafts, autonomous drawings, and works that retrospectively reflect ideas that have shaped Hirst's iconic artworks,” says curator Elsy Lahner.
Highlights of the exhibition
With the Spin Drawings created using his drawing machine, Hirst reflects on the interplay of control and chance. The interactive installation featuring Hirst's drawing machine, developed in 1994, is undoubtedly a special highlight: visitors to the ALBERTINA MODERN have the unique opportunity to create their own works of art and experience the artistic process firsthand. The artwork they create can, of course, be taken home with them.
In addition to the drawings, the exhibition will show selected sculptural works that impressively document Hirst's transmedia oeuvre.
An illustrated exhibition catalogue will accompany the exhibition, offering in-depth insights into Damien Hirst's drawings.
The public will have the opportunity to operate the drawing machine at the following times: May – August, Mondays from 4 to 6 p.m.
September – mid-October, Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m.
Participants (adults and school classes) can also create their own artwork on the machine as part of booked guided tours.
Damien Hirst
Drawings
7 May until 12 October 2025
The first-ever museum exhibition of internationally acclaimed artist Damien Hirst’s drawings will be presented at Albertina Modern from 7 May until 12 October 2025.
Damien Hirst is one of the most important artists working today, having achieved international recognition for his paintings, sculptures, and installations. However, the British artist’s drawings are less well known, which the Albertina Modern will now present for the first time in a museum setting.
This exhibition offers a fascinating insight into Hirst’s creative processes, starting with drawings and sketches produced from the 1980s onward. These images, many of which were produced in preparation for his pioneering works, will be shown together with a selection of related sculptures and paintings.
A key focus of the exhibition is Hirst’s conceptual approach to drawing which is used in different ways—sometimes as an initial study for a larger piece, sometimes as an autonomous work that stands on its own, and at times as a retrospective exploration of ideas after an artwork’s completion. For many of his most iconic series, he used drawings to articulate ideas he considers as significant as the final artworks themselves.
A major highlight of the exhibition is Hirst’s ambitious project Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, which blurs the line between reality and fiction while questioning the credibility of art and historical narratives. The exhibition includes a collection of drawings from this project, which adopt the visual language of classical studies and archaeological documentation.
Additionally, the exhibition will feature Hirst’s Making Beautiful Drawings installation, originally developed in 1994. This unique work employs a custom-built drawing machine that creates artworks using a spinning disc onto which colours are applied. Visitors to Albertina Modern will have the opportunity to interact with this machine, mirroring the spirit of its original presentation and engaging directly with Hirst’s exploration of chance and process in art. The exhibition will feature various Spin Drawings, some of which were composed using this drawing machine, exploring Hirst’s fascination with repetition, pattern, and the interplay between control and chance.
Alongside drawings, the exhibition will also display a selection of sculptural works from Hirst’s most renowned series including Natural History and Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, further contextualising his practice across different media.
This landmark exhibition at Albertina Modern offers a fresh perspective on Hirst’s artistic vision, shedding new light on the fundamental role of drawing in his work. A fully illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
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