Damien Hirst auction in London smashes all records
Submitted by William Kaelin on Tue, 09/16/2008 - 17:04.
A two-day sale of art work by contemporary British artist Damien Hirst Tuesday set a new record for an auction dedicated to one artist by raising 111 million pounds (198 million dollars), auction house Sotheby's in London said.
The result broke all pre-sale estimates and is a triumph for 43-year-old Hirst, who became the first leading artist ever to sell works directly at auction, cutting out the middlemen.
Among the works sold of the 223 on offer were Hirst's trademark animals in formaldehyde, including The Golden Calf, which fetched 10.3 million pounds on the first night of the sale Monday.
The German car market is facing its worse downturn, the nation's auto industry association warned Wednesday as the deepening sense of economic gloom in the country leads to a shakeout in the industry and the prospects of big job cuts.
A comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon as a couple trying to avoid their families at Christmas debuted in first place over the weekend at North American box offices, according to preliminary studio estimates issued Sunday.