Damien Hirst. Born in Bristol in 1956 has been one of Britain’s most prolific and best known artist since he graduated from Goldsmith’s College and organised the seminal Freeze exhibition in 1988. Renowned for his strong and uncompromising subject matter, Hirst works and lives in the South West but rarely exhibits in the region.

The Hat makes the man evolved from a tiny drawing by Max Ernst which fascinated Hirst. This disjointed, surrealistic composition is entirely made of bronze and painted to take on the aspect sawn up door frames, straw or felt hats and even battered wooden pallets.

Sensation, a monstrously scaled up model of skin reflects Hirst preoccupation with the corporeal reality of the human body.