[ Damien Hirst ]
Diamonds Encrusted Skull Will Be Most Expensive Work Of Art

found at diamondvues.com May 16, 2007

British artist and sculptor, Damien Hirst is no stranger to extreme forms of artistic expression. Compared with the epic works that have made his name - the shark in formaldehyde, the bisected cow - Damien Hirst's work in progress is a small, delicate object: a life-size human Diamonds Encrusted skull.

The skull above is a previous effort by Damien Hirst. The new diamond skull will by far eclipse this work in terms of effort, cost, and value

The Skull Beneath the Skin
Silkscreen with diamond dust on Somerset satin 410gsm
100 x 66.7cm, 2005
Edition of 155 by Damien Hirst

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This skull will be cast in platinum and encased entirely in diamonds - some 8,500 in all.
It will be the most expensive work of art ever created, costing between £8m and £10m.
Unveiling his latest work exclusively to The Observer, Hirst said: 'We have been buying diamonds slowly and have worked out that it will take about eight and half thousand to completely cover the surface of the skull.'

Hirst, who was in London for meetings with his partners in this venture , Bond Street jewellers Bentley & Skinner, added: 'The biggest expense will be the 50-carat beauty that will sit on the forehead. That one alone will cost in the region of £3m to £5m. It is certainly the biggest single undertaking by a jeweller since the Crown jewels'.

Hirst, 40, who was recently ranked as the most powerful individual in the contemporary art world by Art Review magazine, and is reported to be worth £100m.

Here is Hirst in his own words:
"This will be a lot less stressful than putting a bloody great shark in a tank of formaldehyde'".

I just want to celebrate life by saying to hell with death. What better way of saying that than by taking the ultimate symbol of death and covering it in the ultimate symbol of luxury, desire and decadence? The only part of the original skull that will remain will be the teeth. You need that grotesque element for it to work as a piece of art. God is in the details and all that.'

I've always adhered to the principle that the simplest ideas are the best, and this will be the ultimate two fingers up to death. I want people to see it and be astounded. I want them to gasp.

If it's vulgar, I'll put it on a chain and hang it round my neck - or I'll stick it on the mantelpiece." The diamond-encrusted skull, entitled 'For the Love of God', is projected to fetch up to £50m.

Damien Hirst Seeks $99 Million for Skull With 8,601 Diamonds

By Richard Vines in London at rvines@bloomberg.net  found at bloomberg.com May 16, 2007

May 16 (Bloomberg) -- A diamond-encrusted platinum skull by Damien Hirst will go on sale for 50 million pounds ($99 million) in London. The price compares with the $8 million hedge-fund manager Steven Cohen paid for the artist's pickled shark in 2005.

``For the Love of God'' is covered entirely by 8,601 stones weighing a total of 1,106.18 carats. It will form part of the exhibition, ``Beyond Belief,'' at the White Cube, Mason's Yard gallery next month. Other works will go on show at Hoxton Square.

A sale of the skull for about $100 million would put Hirst, 41, on a price level with Pablo Picasso and Gustav Klimt, dead artists who produced some of the 20th century's most famous works.

White Cube won't release an image of the skull or discuss security, gallery spokeswoman Sara Macdonald said in a telephone interview. She confirmed the 50 million-pound price, reported in the Sunday Times on April 29. There's a private view on June 2 and the exhibition will open to the public from June 3 through July 7.

The show will include two new series of works. ``Fact Paintings'' depicts the birth of Hirst's son Cyrus by cesarean section in August 2005. ``Biopsy Paintings'' are based on images of 30 different forms of cancer and other terminal illnesses.

Twelve new sculptures will include seven formaldehyde works from Hirst's ``Natural History'' series. ``Death Explained'' presents a tiger shark cut in two, displayed in separate tanks.

``In this exhibition, Hirst continues to explore the fundamental themes of human existence -- life, death, truth, love, immorality and art itself,'' White Cube said in a press release.

The U.K. artist employs about 80 people in studios and administration, having added 30 staffers to handle coming shows, his spokeswoman Jude Tyrrell told Bloomberg News in March.

Assistants help create art ranging from medicine cabinets to pickled animals to butterflies stuck in gloss paint, she said.

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