Life in the Fast Lane

British artist Damien Hirst, notorious for preserving a shark in formaldehyde, unveiled his latest work Friday — a cool $98 million diamond-encrusted cast of a human skull.

The work, entitled “For The Love Of God” is a platinum cast of a skull cast from a 35 year old 18th-century European male — studded with 8,601 diamonds including a large pink diamond worth more than $8 million in the center of its forehead, weighing 1,106.18 carats — which his representatives say was ethically-sourced. Photo — Prudence Cuming Associates – Handout photo.

“It shows we are not going to live for ever. But it also has a feeling of victory over death.” Hirst said as the skull was unveiled to the public for the first time at central London’s White Cube gallery.

Hirst, who has a preoccupation with blood and death and whose works range from diced and pickled quadrupeds to bloody depictions of birth, notorious for preserving a shark in formaldehyde, said he was inspired by similarly bejeweled Aztec skulls. He hoped that the work would go on show at the British Museum in London, alongside the Aztec turquoise skull which inspired it, reports Yahoo News.

While the skull is platinum and the diamonds are flawless — the teeth are real. “It was very important to put the real teeth back. Like the animals in formaldehyde you have got an actual animal in there. It is not a representation. I wanted it to be real.” he said.

The skull is missing one tooth, which Hirst initially replaced with a gold one and then decided to leave it out. “We felt we didn’t need it, so we took it out. It feels sort of human and quirky.” he said.

The skull is on display alongside other works at London’s White Cube Mason’s Yard from June 3 to July 7 2007.

Hirst told reporters as the work was unveiled, “I’ve stopped worrying about what art is. If it’s in an art gallery on the wall or the floor, it’s probably art.”

Asked what his next work would be, he joked, “Two diamond skeletons shagging.”

Death is a central theme in much of Hirst’s work.

Sacred (with Hope)

A visitor looks at a work “Sacred (with Hope)â€?, a sculpture of an animal heart, dagger and feathers, during the launch of Hirst major solo exhibition “Beyond Beliefâ€? at the White Cube gallery in London, Friday, June 1, 2007. Photo — AP — Sang Tan

A short biography:

Born in Bristol, England in 1965, Damien Hirst lives and works in London and Berlin.

Together with a large proportion of the generation’s leading artists, Damien Hirst studied at Goldsmiths College of Art in London from 1986 — 89. In 1988 he curated “Freezeâ€?, an exhibition set up in a vacant warehouse east of London.

Hirst and 17 of his students — Gary Hume, Sarah Lucas, and Fiona Rae among others — participated. The initiative launched a new generation of artists who became known under the collective title Young British Artists, YBA, as well as the Brit Pack.

Hirst is considered to be one of the most significant young artists in the revolution against the British art establishment, for which he quickly acquired both fame and notoriety for the sophisticated but brutal way in which his works treated subjects such as death and life in a modern society.

He became a key public figure throughout the media world, surrounded by controversy and speculation — but at the same time his works were nevertheless being taken seriously, judged to be thought provoking, personal and worthy of attention.

Death Explained

“Death Explainedâ€? — a tiger shark cut in half – on exhibition by British artist Damien Hirst in central London June 1, 2007. The display is one of 12 new pieces at the exhibit. Photo — REUTERS, Toby Melville

Love’s Paradox

A visitor views “Love’s Paradoxâ€? — a cow in formaldehyde — on exhibition at the White Cube gallery June 1, 2007. Photo — REUTERS — Toby Melville

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