Damian Hirst's Diamond Encrusted Skull

In Damian Hirst's work 'For the love of God', the diamond encrusted skull makes a bold statement of his wealth (as the piece sold for £50 million). My opinion of this art work is a good one, in that it's amazing in the fact that it will last forever. I think it's great that someone would put enough money into a piece they are so passionate about so that they can share his love off art and his money with admirers forever more.

The skull has a large, pear-shaped diamond sitting atop the skull’s forehead like a third eye, a point of contact with the divine. It took 18 months to make and its said that "It is not even made by Hirst. He comes up with the concept and he gets his technicians to do the rest." I would love to have seen what he would have produced had he completed the work himself as he is so inspirational.

I think it's very interesting the way that he displayed his work. Making people pay to stand there and stare at it under spotlight for two minutes, then to be escorted out by guards. Hopefully he puts his profit from the veiwings towards somthing more

'I just want to celebrate life by saying to hell with death,' said Hurst, '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 agree with this statement in that the teeth to me make the piece what it is. They bring some realness to his work.

The encrusted skull by Damian Hurst is about life and laughing in the face of death. Its an arrogant statement of his own wealth. However I do think that it is a beautiful piece of work, that if i saw it in real life i wouldn't be able to only spend to minutes staring at it. I believe it does communicate the ideas he wants it too effectively. He wanted to make something that would take peoples breath away and i believe he has successfully produced that with the price tag alone.