Art News

The Diamond Encrusted Skull by Damien Hirst on Display at Palazzo Vecchio

FLORENCE.- The diamond encrusted skull, For the Love of God, by British artist Damien Hirst, which gained iconic status following its first exhibition in 2007, is present at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence from 26 November 2010 to 1 May 2011. Promoted by the Comune di Firenze, Assessorato alla Cultura e alla Contemporaneità and the Musei Civici Fiorentini, the event was conceived by Memoria srl, is curated by Francesco Bonami and is being produced and organised by Arthemisia Group. For the Love of God is a life-size cast of a human skull in platinum, entirely covered by 8,601 VVS to flawless pavé-set diamonds, weighing a total of 1,106.18 carats. Set into the forehead is a large pear-shaped pink diamond, known as the Skull Star Diamond. The teeth are those of the original skull, which was purchased by Hirst in London, and dates back to the eighteenth-century. The work stands in the great tradition of the ‘Memento Mori&#146