a skull sells for $100,000,000

[Croynan]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070830/lf_afp/lifestylebritainart_070830203229;_ylt=AoMPBZHVOMl3ehAw47qKRzxkM3wV
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AFP NEWS

Damien Hirst skull sells for 100 million dollars

Thu Aug 30, 4:32 PM ET

A diamond-encrusted skull by British artist Damien Hirst sold on Thursday for 100 million dollars (75 million euros), a record price for work sold by a living artist, a London gallery announced.

The work, entitled "For the Love of God," is a skull cast in platinum and encrusted with 8,601 diamonds. Carbon dating has shown that the original skull on which Hirst's work is modelled dates to the 18th century.

Hirst remains best known for earlier conceptual works in which creatures including a shark and a cow were pickled in formaldehyde inside glass tanks.

The diamond-encrusted skull was sold to an group of anonymous investors, a spokeswoman for the White Cube gallery in London, where it has been on display from the beginning of the summer, told AFP.

Death is one of the central themes in works completed by Hirst, 41, who once said that the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States were like a work of art, but later apologised.

Hirst also holds the record for the most expensive work of art by a living artist at auction -- his "Lullaby Spring," a three-metre (10-foot) wide steel cabinet containing 6,136 hand-crafted and individually-painted pills, sold for 19.2 million dollars in June.

 

[star-warrior]

Oh gawd. I think the definition of art is too wide.

 

[robbieadam]

Oh...my god! Those are the only words I thought of when I saw this picture.

 

[JR]

Interesting thread, Croynan!

The link shows a photo of the skull. It is quite nice, but for that kind of money, you would think he could have purchased braces for those teeth.

 

[Jeimuzu]

Robert-Márléné (too many accents?) has been using that as his avatar recently, hasn't he?

Either way, I can't stand Hirst's work. It's not art, it's just about money. He's a recognised artist, so he could make anything, and no matter how shit it is, it'll get bought. It's currency for rich people - whoever bought that will have done so to make himself look rich, because he'll be able to put it somewhere impressive and brag about it.

I hate modern art. And I hate people who do it like he does. I used to know a thoroughly unpleasant woman called Gail. She was a feminist, which is fine, but it was at the point where other women couldn't bear to share her company. A friend of mine, Bec, tried to include her in conversation once, and ended up thinking "Damnit, stop talking about your ovaries!"

And she drew these horrible little creatures. Apparently humans, because although they were pencil thin, too tall, and messed up totally, it was art.

Modern 'art' is killing real art.

 

[Swellegant]

Damn, somebody bought it! I was saving up for that! (It was my avatar for about a week, but I got complaints; plus, I decided that a skull, diamond-encrusted or no, sent the wrong message).

I guess I can use the fifty bucks I managed to stash away for something else shiny and sparkly.

You know, I've always liked Hirst's work. The sliced-up cow was a favorite of mine. I like modern art that's interesting to look at, lots of detail, and just a little bit disturbing. And/or featuring lots of beefcake. I mean, pretty's already been done to death, you have to try something else.

 

[Pushyourluck]

Am I alone in thinking all those diamonds would look better in a platinum setting on a watch or a ring or indeed several individual pieces? Isn't an 18th century skull a piece of art in itself? Or does everything come down to the shallow facade of things these days?

In homage to Tina Turner: What's art got to do with it?

 

[josher]

I've always thought Hirst was 50% artist and 50% conman.

But, to be fair, the Impressionists, Cubists (including Picasso) and the Abstract Impressionists were all viewed as talentless pseudoartists by art critics in their day.

 

[Ninja108]

This article got my funny bone tickling. No skull is worth that much

 

[star-warrior]

Some people have more money than sense.

Once the purchaser has spent another $100,000,000+ on insurance, he can do one of two things with the skull:

1. he can place it in a museum/art gallery, that will have to spend a vast fortune on security or

2. he can put the skull in a bank vault, never to see the light of day again.

There is poverty and deprivation in this world and the money could have been put to a much better use.

I agree wholeheartedly with all your sentiments here.

I wonder if any of those were conflict diamonds... If they were, Damien Hirst and the new owner of said diamond encrusted skull are in for a shock.

 

[Claudio63]

What a waste of diamonds!

 

[Riverrick]

Hmmn. .....

 

[Circe Infuria]

Oh...my god! Those are the only words I thought of when I saw this picture.

No, no honey. It's "For the Love of God."

My question is, where did this guy get the skull from? How do you go about securing human remains legally? Did he buy it from someone? Did he go grave robbing?