LONDON - A pickled shark, a gilded calf and other works by Brit art provocateur Damien Hirst are going up for auction in London.
Sotheby's auction house says next week's sale could generate more than $92 million in sales. In a go against with art-world convention, Hirst is selling more than 200 new works at auction sooner than through a picture gallery. An auction bridge is "a very democratic way to sell art," he said.
"Although there is risk involved, I bosom the challenge of selling my work in this way," he said. "I never want to stop working with my galleries. This is different. The world's changing. Ultimately, I need to see where this route leads."
The scores, previewed Monday, include "The Golden Calf," an embalmed calf with hooves and horns of 18-karat gold. It is expected to fetch $17 million at the Sept. 15-16 sale. "The Incredible Journey," a zebra in formaldehyde, has an estimated sale leontyne Price of $2.8 1000000 to $4.3 million. The sales agreement also will include Hirst's paintings of butterflies.
Four of the works are being sold to benefit charities, including youth group Kids Company and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Hirst, 43, is among the best known of the "Young British Artists" world Health Organization came to prominence in the 1990s. His often disturbing works have included a diamond-encrusted skull, sharks and sheep preserved in formaldehyde, and maggots assaultive a cow's head.
Contemporary art collectors such Charles Saatchi helped make Hirst notable and his works expensive, and they are displayed in museums such as the London's Tate gallery and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
More information
