Description

2007. Edition of 1700. Silkscreen print on paper with glazes. Paper size: 12 13/16 x 9 7/16 in. (32.5 x 24 cm). Printed on the occasion of the 2007 exhibition ‘Damien Hirst: Beyond Belief’ at White Cube, Mason’s Yard and Hoxton Square. In this exhibition, Hirst continued to explore the fundamental themes of human existence – life, death, truth, love, immortality and art itself. For the Love of God is a life-size cast of a human skull in platinum, covered entirely by 8,601 VVS to flawless pavé-set diamonds, weighing a total of 1,106.18 carats. It is without precedent in the history of art. On one level, the work is a traditional ‘Memento Mori’, an object that addresses the transience of human existence. ‘The skull is out of this world, celestial almost’ writes the distinguished art historian Rudi Fuchs. ‘It proclaims victory over decay. At the same time’, Fuchs continues, ‘it represents death as something infinitely more relentless. Compared to the tearful sadness of a vanitas scene, the diamond skull is glory itself.'.