 A $118 million diamond-encrusted skull by British artist Damien Hirst is set to tour the world’s museums. Hirst, a well-known contemporary artist, is most famous for his controversial piece featuring a tiger shark cut in half and suspended in formaldehyde. The skull, which Hirst named For the Love of God, made its debut in June 2007 at London’s White Cube. It features 8,601 jewels and a pear-shaped pink diamond, dubbed the Skull Star Diamond, embedded in the forehead. The skull was originally purchased in north London and is thought to be from an eighteenth century European male. For the Love of God contains over $25 million worth in diamonds, with the largest diamond weighing in at a whopping 52.5 carats. Hirst said that he wanted to cover the skull entirely with diamonds. “They go underneath, inside the nose. Anywhere you can put diamonds, we’ve put diamonds,” he said. For the Love of God is thought to be the most valuable piece of the modern and contemporary art world, largely due to its stunning collection of diamonds. It was sold for $118.5 million in a private sale last year. The diamond-encrusted masterpiece began its world tour last week. Through December 15, 2008, it will be on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The skull is currently mounted in a totally black room, and precise lighting shining off the diamonds gives it the illusion of floating in space.
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