Damien Hirst, For the Love of God, 2007. © the artist. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. Private Collection courtesy Murderme Ltd and Jay Jopling/White Cube, London

AMSTERDAM.- From 1 November to 15 December 2008 the Rijksmuseum presents For the Love of God, the celebrated diamond encrusted skull by Britain’s Damien Hirst. This show at the Rijksmuseum brings the world premier of the work’s international tour to Amsterdam. To accompany the exhibition Hirst has chosen a personal selection from the Rijksmuseum’s collection of 17th-century art. For the Love of God opens to the public on 1 November for Amsterdam Museum Night and remains at the Rijksmuseum for six weeks.

Damien Hirst: “As an artist I try to make things that people can believe in, that they can relate to, that they can experience. You therefore have to show them as well as possible.” (Interview with Damien Hirst in OOG, Rijksmuseum magazine for art and history, no. 4, 11 Sept. 2008)

For the Love of God - For the Love of God is a platinum cast of a human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds. Set on the forehead is a large, pear-shaped light fancy pink diamond, called the Skull Star Diamond. The teeth are from the original skull. It was hailed worldwide and generated enormous publicity when first unveiled in 2007 at London’s White Cube. Dutch art historian Rudi Fuchs described it as “a supernatural skull, almost heavenly”. He relates Hirst’s work to the memento mori and vanitas motifs popular in the Dutch Golden Age. For the Love of God and Hirst’s personal selection of works from the Rijksmuseum collection reveal how fear of death has provided a theme in art over the centuries. Appropriately, For the Love of God appears in the Philips Wing, surrounded by the Masterpieces of the Golden Age.