This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7617878.stm

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Hirst auction beats £62m estimate Hirst auction beats £62m estimate
(10 minutes later)
An auction of art works by Damien Hirst has smashed a top estimate of £62.3m to bring in record total of £70.5m - with more works still to be sold. An auction of art works by Damien Hirst has smashed a top estimate of £62.3m to bring in a record total of £70.5m - with more works still to be sold.
The artist has abandoned the traditional method of selling through dealers and galleries, going straight to the auction house Sotheby's instead.The artist has abandoned the traditional method of selling through dealers and galleries, going straight to the auction house Sotheby's instead.
It is the first time an artist has sold a substantial body of work this way.It is the first time an artist has sold a substantial body of work this way.
Sotheby's say the auction - which runs over two days - has set a new record for a sale dedicated to one artist.Sotheby's say the auction - which runs over two days - has set a new record for a sale dedicated to one artist.
- Among the lots were The Golden Calf for £9.2m and The Kingdom - a tiger shark in formaldehyde - which sold for £9.6m.- Among the lots were The Golden Calf for £9.2m and The Kingdom - a tiger shark in formaldehyde - which sold for £9.6m.
The auction, entitled Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, was the first of three that will sell a total of 223 art works by Mr Hirst.The auction, entitled Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, was the first of three that will sell a total of 223 art works by Mr Hirst.
The Golden Calf, which is placed in a gold case, was estimated to sell for between £8m and £12m.The Golden Calf, which is placed in a gold case, was estimated to sell for between £8m and £12m.
Pickled sharkPickled shark
But the work entitled The Kingdom, which was bought for £9.6m, had been estimated at between £4m and £6m.But the work entitled The Kingdom, which was bought for £9.6m, had been estimated at between £4m and £6m.
The Black Sheep with the Golden Horn, another animal in formaldehyde, sold for £2.6m, within its £2-3m estimate.The Black Sheep with the Golden Horn, another animal in formaldehyde, sold for £2.6m, within its £2-3m estimate.
The second and third sessions are due to take place on Tuesday morning and afternoon.The second and third sessions are due to take place on Tuesday morning and afternoon.
The extraordinary body of new work to be showcased at Sotheby's is among his best yet Sotheby's spokesman In Pictures: Hirst for artThe extraordinary body of new work to be showcased at Sotheby's is among his best yet Sotheby's spokesman In Pictures: Hirst for art
Mr Hirst has called the auction a "mini retrospective" and "probably the most amazing show I've put on".Mr Hirst has called the auction a "mini retrospective" and "probably the most amazing show I've put on".
BBC Entertainment reporter David Sillito said that opting to sell all this art in the hurley-burley of the sale room is an unusual move, but that the artist says galleries can be snobby and elitist.BBC Entertainment reporter David Sillito said that opting to sell all this art in the hurley-burley of the sale room is an unusual move, but that the artist says galleries can be snobby and elitist.
A spokesman for Sotheby's said: "The extraordinary body of new work to be showcased at Sotheby's is among his best yet - ambitious, exquisite and incredibly powerful."A spokesman for Sotheby's said: "The extraordinary body of new work to be showcased at Sotheby's is among his best yet - ambitious, exquisite and incredibly powerful."