Damien Hirst exhibition

The Albertina Modern adds another dimension to the footprint of the renowned artist Damien Hirst with an exhibition of his drawings.

First-time ever in a museum context
Preparatory sketches & standalone works
Also paintings & sculptures
Insights into a creative mind
Runs May 7 – Oct 12, 2025
Book Albertina Modern tickets* online
See also:
- Albertina Modern overview
- Contemporary art exhibitions

The Drawings

(Damien Hirst, Kali Confronts Hydra, 2015, 587 x 719 mm, pencil, ink and silver leaf on vellum, photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved / Bildrecht, Vienna 2025)

Think of Damien Hirst, and a popular public image is of preserved dead animals.

Perhaps it’s the fate of artists who make the leap to the wider consciousness and celebrity to be associated with a particular item or set of works. Da Vinci and an enigmatic young lady. Munch and an existential howl.

Hirst’s oeuvre extends in various directions, of course. As he said in a 2022 interview:

We live in such a multifaceted world today that using a single approach is very difficult…That’s why I end up making paintings, sculptures, installations and videos – everything that I possibly can, because we’ve come to be constantly bombarded by a world that’s like that

Those paintings, sculptures, installations and videos have all enjoyed international acclaim. And we can add drawings to that list, as the Damien Hirst exhibition at the Albertina Modern reveals.

This is the first time that a museum has taken the artist’s drawings as a focus. The results offer intriguing insights at different levels.

So we have preparatory studies, which allow us a glimpse into the artistic process and the breadth of Hirst’s creative visions. A glimpse given added presence by a display case of sketchbooks and notebooks: from such little acorns mighty oaks shall grow.

We have autonomous works, too, that need no transformation into other media. These include some of Hirst’s Spin Drawings.

You can also try your hand with his Making Beautiful Drawings installation that Hirst used himself to create such art. Which feels a little like picking up a pencil once used by Albrecht Dürer, albeit with a vastly better chance of a presentable outcome.

At the time of writing, access to the machine is limited to the guided tours or Mondays from 4pm to 6pm (but not on June 9th). To use the public Monday slot, register at the ticket counter for a place from 10am on the same day: it’s first come, first served.

And we even have drawings that call back to a finished work, perhaps exploring alternative ideas or interpretations: another peep through the keyhole into Hirst’s mind.

A further layer of understanding comes from seeing sculptural works, establishing a link between the conceptual drawings and the three dimensional result. A before and after, if you like. These works come from such renowned series as Natural History or Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable.

As well as enjoying the creativity on display, it’s rather intriguing to observe the often visceral reaction of other visitors to one or two of the more “extreme” installations.

I rather loved the Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable and for all sorts of reasons, not least the effort involved in creating the surrounding story as well as the combination of fantasy, mythology, art etc. in the collection.

Dates, tickets & tips

Enjoy the drawings and more from May 7th to October 12th, 2025. An entrance ticket from or for the Albertina Modern includes the exhibition within.

(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)

Since we’re on the topic of drawings and mentioned both Dürer and da Vinci earlier, can I recommend the Leonardo-Dürer exhibition at the main Albertina site (until June 9th, 2025)? You won’t find too many sketches of sharks in tanks, but you will find diverse masterpieces on coloured backgrounds. Breathtaking.

And for more contemporary joy, check these listings or this overview for Vienna.

How to get there

Follow the travel tips on the Albertina Modern main post. The museum is opposite the Karlsplatz transport hub and associated stops and, therefore, easily reached on the U1, U2 & U4 subway lines or trams 1, 2, D, 71 or 62, for example.

Address: Karlsplatz 5, 1010 Vienna