Beautiful Inside My Head Forever was a two day auction of new work at Sotheby's, London, taking place on 15 and 16 September 2008. It was unusual as Damien Hirst bypassed galleries and sold directly to the public. The sale raised £111 million ($198 million) for 218 items. The auction exceeded expectations, setting a record for a single-artist auction, occurring as the financial markets plunged.
The Sunday Times said that Hirst's business colleagues had "propped up" the sale prices, making purchases or bids which totalled over half of the £70.5 million spent on the first sale day: Harry Blain of the Haunch of Venison gallery said that bids were entered on behalf of clients wishing to acquire the work.
Read more about Beautiful Inside My Head Forever: Auction, The Exhibition-auction As Media and Marketing Performance Art, Aftermath
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