In October 2013, Qatar Museums Authority, will present Relics: the most comprehensive survey of Hirst's work ever shown and his first solo exhibition in the Middle East.

The comprehensive exhibition will include both famously iconic, and previously unseen artworks.

Relics will include pieces from a cross-section of Hirst’s most important series including the Spot Paintings and the Natural History series of animals preserved in formaldehyde.

Also on display will be one of the most iconic and widely recognised artworks to have emerged in the past decade; the diamond encrusted skull, For the Love of God (2007).

The exhibition follows in the footsteps of Hirst’s major retrospective at Tate Modern in 2012, which became the most visited solo exhibition in the gallery’s history.

Curated by the writer, critic and curator, Francesco Bonami, Relics is part of a series of cultural initiatives organised by Qatar Museums Authority in order to foster discussions and cultural exchange between the UK and Qatar. It forms part of Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture which celebrates and showcases the deep-rooted bilateral relations between Qatar and the UK.