Damien Hirst's $200 Million Art Sale Breaks Record

Wednesday September 17, 2008 08:40 AM EDT

Damien Hirst

SHAUN CURRY/AFP/Getty

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British artist Damien Hirst should have no beef with anyone after sales from a two-day auction of his works reached $200.7 million.

His formaldehyde sculpture The Golden Calf sold for $18.4 million at the "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" auction at Sotheby's in London.

The sale broke the record for a piece by Hirst. The Kingdom, another embalmed animal – a tiger shark – previously sold for $17 million.

And according to the auction house, another record was broken in the 218-piece sale: the total netted for a single-artist auction was set in 1993 when a Picasso sale with 88 works brought $20 million.

"I think the market is bigger than anyone knows," Hirst said after the sale. "I love art and this proves I'm not alone and the future looks great for everyone!"
– Mari Kasanuki