Laughing all the way to the bank… to the tune of an estimated £55 million.
It turns out that Hirst had little to do with the actual crafting of the skull – the work was carried out by jewelery makers Bentley & Skinner in London. You can read about the making of Damien Hirst’s diamond skull on Supertouch.
It is quite beautiful… but is it art..?
Is Art still defined anymore – it s surely more Art than some silly “installations” I have seen… more like Jewellery Art for me anyway.
At least there is an element of craft to this piece – it has been beautifully executed.
is it art? think about all the human resources that are exploited for mining diamonds,and then think about what a skull represents. people go to great lengths to extract something as rare as a diamond, even if it costs lives. (probably better summed up in the film blood diamond, although i haven’t seen it. haha) even if this piece isn’t a social statement, it makes you think about value and mortality. wether or not your skull is encrusted with the most valueable rock on the planet, you are still dead, right? yes, it’s art.