Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst is an artist, his work has caused controversy and outrage all over the world, dead animals preserved in formaldehyde, live butterflies, preserved fish.

Damien Hirst was born in Bristol, England in 1965 and attended Goldsmiths College from 1986 to 1989. He was short listed for the Turner Prize in 1992, and won the award when he was nominated again in 1995. His works were selected based on his exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Saatchi Gallery, and his touring show, which opened at the Serpentine Gallery.

His latest work is an 18th century human skull encrusted with diamonds which cost £12,000,000 or $ 24,000,000 to make, if you want to buy it, it will set you back a cool £50,000,000 or $100,000,000 I think I'll have 2 and use them as book ends.

Unveiled yesterday, Hirst, 41, said he had been inspired by Mayan and Inca skulls. "What was the maximum you could do as a celebration against death," he said. "The most I could do was if I covered a perfect skull with perfect diamonds." With his dealer Jay Jopling splitting the £12 million cost of the raw materials, Hirst began buying flawless, ethically-sourced diamonds for the project.