Fifty-four lots went under the hammer 2 days ago, raising more than the conservative pre-sale estimate of £65 million for the entire two-day event.
Damien Hirst sold 223 new works directly through Sotheby's in the "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" sale, saving millions by cutting out dealers' commission. The upper estimate for the whole event is £98 million.
His gamble, which was watched with great interest by fellow artists, paid off in spectacular style.
Damien Hirst has exceeded the previous record for an auction of works by one artist, set in 1993 by Picasso. That sale, which had 88 lots, totalled $20 million (£11.29 million).
The Golden Calf, a bull preserved in formaldehyde, adorned with hooves, a disk above its head and horns made of 18-carat gold, broke the world record for the sale of a Hirst at auction, going for £10.3 million.
However, the hammer price for The Golden Calf of £9.2 million – before Sotheby's buyer's premium was applied – was on the low side of the £8-12 million pre-sales estimate.
Nonetheless, the market appeared strong as some of the richest art collectors in the world converged on London's New Bond Street to feast on
Damien Hirst's works.
Damien Hirst, 43, who is criticized by some for using an army of assistants to help him create his work, has called the auction a "mini retrospective" and "probably the most amazing show I've put on".
Another major sale - selling for more than 50 per cent above its pre-sale estimate, was a shark in formaldehyde, called The Kingdom. It sold for £9.6 million including the buyer's premium.
Fragments Of Paradise, made from stainless steel, glass and manufactured diamonds, was estimated at £1-1.5 million, but sold for more than three times that - just under £5.2 million.
Following the tremendous result achieved the day before the Evening session of Beautiful on tuesday the 17th september 2008 Inside My Head Forever - Sotheby’s historic and ground-breaking two-day auction of new works by Damien Hirst - the Day Sale continued to attract unprecedented interest, bringing the combined total for the entire two-day auction to the remarkable sum of £111,464,800 (US$200,752,179/€140,160,487) – well in excess of its high estimate (est. £68-98 million).
Following the conclusion of the sale today, Damien Hirst said: “I think the market is bigger than anyone knows, I love art and this proves I’m not alone and the future looks great for everyone!”
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Lego
