damien hirst: forgotten promises at gagosian gallery hong kong

'for heaven's sake', the new mini version of damian hirst’s diamond skull head

at the grand opening of the hong kong location of gagosian gallery, earlier this month, damien hirst shows 'for heaven's sake'
and a few new paintings of his signature skulls. the controversial centerpiece is a life-sized human baby skull cast in platinum
and covered in diamonds. it is very similar to his 'for the love of god' skull, which reportedly sold for £50 million.
with these new works hirst continues his interrogations of existence, death, beauty, and decay.
the exhibition runs until march 19, 2011.


'for heaven's sake'

'for heaven’s sake' (2008) is a life-size human baby skull cast in platinum and covered in 8,128 pavé-set perfect diamonds:
7,105 natural fancy pink diamonds and, on the fontanel, 1,023 white diamonds. this spectacular memento mori was cast from
an original skull that formed part of a nineteenth-century pathology collection that hirst acquired some years ago.
the art newspaper states that damien hirst's 'science ltd.' art-producing company declined to comment on the price for the
new work, so the question remains whether - since the baby's skull is smaller than the original sculpture -
the price tag has shrunk, too.


artist takashi murakami at the opening of the gagosian gallery in hong kong on january 18, 2011
image courtesy arrestedmotion

'diamonds are about perfection and clarity and wealth and sex and death and immortality. they are a symbol of everything that’s
eternal, but then they have a dark side as well,' says hirst in the press release.

the exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with an essay by curator francesco bonami,
as well as an interview with damian hirst conducted by art critic karen smith.
gagosian gallery’s new hong kong space is located in the pedder building, the last surviving colonial-era office
building in the central district. the 5,000 square feet pace has four-meter ceilings, difficult to find in the region
but a necessary benefit for a gallery of modern and contemporary art.


left: 'for the love of god' exhibition at palazzo vecchio in florence,  right: sketch by damien hirst
image © designboom

'for the love of god' (2007), a life-size cast of a mature human skull in platinum covered in diamonds,
is currently on display at palazzo vecchio in florence, until may 1st, 2011.
palazzo vecchio (1570 - 1575) is the historic seat of the florentine government and one of the great masterworks
of art and architecture of the italian renaissance.


'for the love of god'

prior to this florence show, 'for the love of god' has only been shown twice.
following its inaugural exhibition at white cube in london in 2007, it was exhibited at the rijksmuseum in
amsterdam  in 2008.


the teeth are those of the original skull, which was purchased by hirst in london, and dates back to the eighteenth-century

a catalogue has been edited by damien hirst, 'for the love of god: the making of the diamond skull' with an essay by rudi fuchs
(london, 2007). it presents lots of diamonds and pseudo-technical data. published by other criteria and jay jopling / white cube
ISBN 978-1-904212-20-1


measurement and bioarchaeological analysis of the skull
images from the catalogue



measurement and bioarchaeological analysis of the skull
images from the catalogue



use of CRANID to evaluate the likely ancestry of the skull
images from the catalogue



set into the forehead is a large pear-shaped pink diamond, known as the 'skull star diamond'
images from the catalogue



the catalogue 'for the love of god: the making of the diamond skull' at the exhibition at palazzo vecchio, florence
image © designboom