A Fourteen Foot Shark in Formalin

This famous artwork is literally a massive, dead tiger shark preserved in a glass tank of chemicals. It forces viewers to confront the terrifying reality of death by staring directly at a silent, suspended predator.

Created by Damien Hirst, this piece became an icon of contemporary art for its shocking use of a real animal. The shark was caught specifically for the project and eventually began to decompose, requiring the entire specimen to be replaced years later. It challenges how we perceive life and mortality through the medium of taxidermy. Many critics argue about whether the preserved creature still qualifies as the original artwork today.