Damien Hirst: For the Love of God - the Making of the Diamond Skull - Tapa dura

This book is a creative guide to the making of arguably the most extraordinary art object to be made in the 21st century. Published to accompany the 2007 exhibition "Damien Hirst: Beyond Belief" at White Cube, it gives a fascinating pictorial insight into how Hirst's diamond skull piece "For the Love of God" was conceived and produced.

Illustrated with candid behind-the-scenes photographs by Johnnie Shand Kydd, the book includes a number of preparatory drawings by Damien Hirst and a fold-out image of the diamond skull.

Accompanying this is an essay by the art historian Rudi Fuchs, who writes, "The skull is out of this world, celestial almost. I tend to see it as a glorious intense victory over death." A number of leading experts in the fields of archeology and dentistry have also contributed detailed studies on the diamond skull, including analyses of its age and ancestry.

Born in Bristol in 1965, Damien Hirst studied at Goldsmith’s College, London. In 1988 he curated the now renowned exhibition, ‘Freeze’, held in London. In 1991, he had his first solo exhibition in London entitled ‘In and Out of Love’ and the following year he was a major part of the groundbreaking Young British Artists exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, London. He was awarded the prestigious Turner Prize, London in 1995. Hirst’s work has been shown in many important group and solo shows throughout the world. He lives and works in Devon, London and Mexico.