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The zebra and the unicorn spearhead Hirst's new £65m sale
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent28.07.08
The sale of new works by Damien Hirst in September is expected to raise more than £ 65 million , i t was announced today.
Pieces now being detailed in a catalogue of 223 lots include works in many styles instantly recognisable as by the Young British Artist star. A new shark work is being presented with a price tag of £4 million to £6 million.
It is the first big shark since Hirst remade his early and most famous work, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of the Living - which had started to disintegrate - for its new owner, American hedge fund trader Steven A Cohen. Other pieces include a zebra in formaldehyde in a piece named The Incredible Journey, a unicorn called The Dream and The Golden Calf, the central work of the sale, which is a bull with a golden disc on its head and 18 carat horns and hooves. That has an estimate of up to £12 million.
Cheyenne Westphal, chairman of contemporary art Sotheby's Europe, said: "This is Damien Hirst as we know him, but everything is basically up one notch. There's more gold on some of the work, be it on the golden cabinet or the golden spot painting. And there's some really exciting new sculptural work."
Although many works have price tags in the millions, there were "relatively affordable" pieces at £20,000 to £30,000, she added. "There's an amazing range of work."
Prices have been set based on Hirst's previous results at auction. His previous record is £9.65 million last year for Lullaby Spring (2002), a medicine cabinet.
Among the lots are several that will be sold to raise money for Hirst's favourite charitable good causes. These include a series of butterfly works to benefit organisations as diverse as Survival International, the movement for tribal peoples; Strummerville, the new music foundation established in memory of ex-Clash musician Joe Strummer, and Kids Company, the charity founded by Camila Batmanghelidjh to support vulnerable inner-city children.
Hirst has already helped raise more than £21 million for charity this year working with singer Bono on an auction for the U2 star's (RED) charity to support HIV/Aids relief programmes in Africa. After the auctions on 15 and 16 September, the artist will continue to sell new works through his dealers - White Cube in London and Gagosian in New York. The auction is a venture approved by both galleries.
It is widely expected to boost interest in Hirst on what is the 20th anniversary of the exhibition Freeze which he curated with art college contemporaries.
Last year a diamond-encrusted skull created by Hirst sold for £50 million to an investment group.
Reader views (5)
This is disgusting. Im surprised World Horse Welfare didnt have something to say about it. Best thing that could happen to Damien 'fat cat' Hirst is to be pickled and left to decompose is his own glass box.
- Suze, Borders
i think that people are being to harsh on Damien Hirst, i mean its his own artwork. Everyone has something different and thats why hes so famouse,he has a mind of his own and i think thats what should be appreciated non the less. If everyone had to do a peice of art, its most likely everyone will have different styles and techniques. So yes,ofcourse there will be critisism about it but there will be also people who indulge this art.
i thank Damien Hirst for being different
and highly creative.
- Maddy, Australia Adelaide
This sort of move - selling directly at auction - was predicted by artist (and ex-financial market specialist) Horatio Holzbein, in a press release that was all over the internet back in February this year.
He said that in the future, the only galleries left will be those owned by the auction houses themselves - at least at the top end of the market.
- Lee, Paris, France
The people who buy this rubbish are likely to lose a great deal of money when the hype stops working. They should give the money direct to charity instead. Frankly, what sort of person is impressed by those who buy this stuff? (And why would anyone buy it other than to impress people even more gullible than themselves?)
- Oliver Chettle, Bedford
This stuff is revolting. I would literally bin it. What an unpleasant world that calls this'art'.
- Philp, Moscow Russia
