Damien Hirst was one of the first Conceptual artists that really stuck in my brain.

I was looking up something for class or work on the internet, and his name popped up in a bright blue hyperlink in the middle of an interesting article about pop culture and art. Clicking it, I was sickened, stunned, and mezmerized by the image of a shark floating in formaldahyde, along with a sheep floating soundlessly in a tank.

Recognized as perhaps the leading YBA (Youth British Artist), Hirst and his contemporaries started a stir with their challenging, yet often darkly humorous, works of art. Perhaps best known for dead corpses of animals placed in tanks, or when he made the news with a human skull decked in diamonds that sold for millions.

It’s quite a coup that the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver will be presenting some of his signature pieces.

Tonight (Friday Oct. 10) marks the official public opening for the showcase, and it’s something that very few art afficiandos will want to miss.