For the love of Jesus H Christ.

Damien Hirst has studded a platinum skull with diamonds in order to create ‘the most expensive piece of art ever’, entitled ‘For the Love of God’.

The article indicates that if the piece sells for Hirst’s asking price of $99 million, Hirst will find himself on a price level with Pablo Picasso and Gustav Klimt.

Ok, so I don’t have a fine art degree. But come ON now. Just because it’s made of expensive materials doesn’t make the piece worth inherently more. Using expensive materials doesn’t make this douchebag Picasso…does it?

My argument is as such: I like to think I have artistic talent. I really don’t. I’m like Todd Goldman except not THAT crappy and also I don’t plagiarize. But if I made a cast of my ass in platinum and studded it with millions of dollars worth of diamonds (the true value of diamonds in a non diamond cartel market nonwithstanding), would that make me a great master, too, or just a tool that’s taken a cast of her ass for some publicity?

I don’t want to get into a ‘this is or isn’t art’ discussion because art seems to be whatever you can get away with. All I’m saying is a high price point does not a great master make.

27 Comments For the love of Jesus H Christ.

  1. eloe June 1, 2007 at 9:06 pm

    Agreed. People bejewel their cellphones for crying out loud!

    1. admin June 1, 2007 at 9:22 pm

      I should bejewel my cell phone, sell it for a grand, and that will be enough to get me out of my contract and set me up with a decent carrier.

      …YES.

  2. pretzelcoatl June 1, 2007 at 9:12 pm

    Funny, “For the love of God.” is pretty much reaction to him asking for that amount of money.

    NOTE TO SELF: BEDAZZLER + FEMUR = MONEY!

    1. admin June 1, 2007 at 9:18 pm

      I think I’ve got a jean jacket somewhere that’s worth at least 2.3 mil.

      1. pretzelcoatl June 1, 2007 at 9:42 pm

        In seriousness, I DO think that he can claim it as his just because of how much work it takes to get all of those diamonds on there. It seems simple enough, but “seems simple enough” tends to translate into “omfg this is so monotonous and I need to be careful I’m doing this right.”

        I think it’s cool that he did it, but I can’t call the concept entirely original. *shrug*

        1. admin June 1, 2007 at 11:01 pm

          You could theoretically say the same thing about scrubbing grout.

  3. fete_pindon June 1, 2007 at 9:27 pm

    a high price tag may not make a great master, but in my opinion in this piece that is precisely the point.

    i’m not a damian hirst fan, but i think he’s made quite an interesting statement here.

    1. admin June 1, 2007 at 9:43 pm

      What’s the point he’s trying to make? “Hey, no matter how tacky it looks, someone will shell out for it”?

      1. fete_pindon June 1, 2007 at 10:27 pm

        yep. reckon that sounds exactly right to me.

        1. admin June 1, 2007 at 10:28 pm

          I’m going to poop in a jar to prove the same point.

          1. uncledisgusting June 1, 2007 at 10:47 pm

            i was going to make the “i’ll cast your ass” comment, but maybe now i won’t.

            I liked the irony of the piece mind.

          2. admin June 1, 2007 at 11:00 pm

            I need to cast my own ass.

            Mainly because there’s no way I’m cutting anyone in on the profits.

          3. uncledisgusting June 1, 2007 at 11:01 pm

            heh – i’ll waive all rights. i’m assuming you don’t need the ass attached for the casting. if not, i won’t even charge for buying a new chef’s knife.

          4. admin June 1, 2007 at 11:08 pm

            I was thinking more like I could sit in a wide vat of plaster of paris, and then we could make a platinum reverse-cast. If I am to enjoy my millions of dollars by having hot men in banana hammocks massaging me, having them touch my ass will be essential to my overall enjoyment level.

          5. admin June 1, 2007 at 11:12 pm

            Shit, I am very VERY sorry I clicked on that link at work.

          6. uncledisgusting June 1, 2007 at 11:13 pm

            whoops. and i am sorry i didn’t warn you it was nsfw. it’s midnight in the garden here, so i forgot.

          7. admin June 1, 2007 at 11:20 pm

            I think I was just hoping that it was a site dedicated to real hammocks that were whimsical and banana-shaped/colored for that year round tropical feel.

            Yes. I am that naive.

          8. uncledisgusting June 1, 2007 at 11:21 pm

            i was hoping it was dedicated to ‘the todd’ from scrubs.

  4. loosechanj June 2, 2007 at 12:29 am

    I want one of those. For rlz yo.

    1. admin June 2, 2007 at 1:46 am

      I’d like to wear it on a chain around my neck and star in a series of homemade youtube rap videos.

      1. loosechanj June 2, 2007 at 4:19 am

        I would keep it on an end table next to my comfy chair, and gently stroke it’s scalp while I described my fool-proof plan to the Hero.

  5. dslartoo June 2, 2007 at 3:09 am

    I believe a quote from the band Type O Negative is very appropriate here:

    “DON’T MISTAKE LACK OF TALENT FOR GENIUS.”

    That’s all *I’ve* got to say about this, because if I say anything more it’s going to degenerate into a seriously angry rant.

    cheers,
    Phil

    1. fete_pindon June 2, 2007 at 8:35 am

      i think you’re missing the point, but hey what do i know about TEH ARTZ.

      1. admin June 2, 2007 at 6:15 pm

        I think the point for Phil and myself is that WE think ‘bullshit’ is not a point.

        1. fete_pindon June 2, 2007 at 10:15 pm

          then you HAVE missed the point.

          being that not even damian hirst believes in this shite, ergo; genius.

          of course, this being the perception of what is or is not art, and that being formulated by personal opinion, neither you, he nor i are wrong or right.

          merely begging to differ.

          1. admin June 3, 2007 at 12:18 am

            It’s not that I don’t get it, it’s that I reject it. He’s making a statement akin to ‘cooler than thou’ or ‘hipper than thou’–“Look at me, you people are so detached from the art world, you’re so into the perceived value of something, that you’ll immediately buy into it as art”. It’s a joke he’s having and he’s laughing all the way tot he bank.

            I just don’t think that pretending to be cooler than thou is actually all that cool.

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