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
.
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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