Damien Hirst's sale at Sotheby's a few weeks ago was without doubt the art market story of the month-if not the year. Open for a week before the hammer started falling, more than 1,000 people a day visited the auctioneer's show to ogle at the wares (stuffed things in tanks, spin paintings, butterflies stuck in paint).
While most just soaked up the bling, potential buyers were chatted up by Hirst himself, an omnipresent figure in jeans and a tasteful t-shirt promoting his own as-yet unsold diamond-encrusted skull.
Much more nervous than Hirst, were the troupes of dealers coming to observe the "spectacle" as a duo from one of London's leading contemporary galleries remarked with disdain.
And they might have reason to worry. Already there are rumours about the artists who may, like Hirst, detach themselves from dealers (and their 50 per cent commission) and take control of their own careers. Speculation is rife about the likes of Richard Prince and Takashi Murakami to name just two.
Auctions may be, "democratic", as Hirst claims, but at the top end of the market they are rarely good for museums-few staff were present at the Sotheby's sale. While prices at auction rocket, dealers will often give plenty of time to pay and, according to Haunch of Venison head Harry Blain, will frequently exceed the 10-15 per cent discount routinely offered to museums.
Meanwhile, good value can be found at the final day of the Frieze art fair (16-19 Oct). Many dealers are reluctant to recrate, ship and reimport works that could be more profitably sold at a discount.
This is Jane Morris's last column for Museums Journal. She is the new editor of the Art Newspaper
While most just soaked up the bling, potential buyers were chatted up by Hirst himself, an omnipresent figure in jeans and a tasteful t-shirt promoting his own as-yet unsold diamond-encrusted skull.
Much more nervous than Hirst, were the troupes of dealers coming to observe the "spectacle" as a duo from one of London's leading contemporary galleries remarked with disdain.
And they might have reason to worry. Already there are rumours about the artists who may, like Hirst, detach themselves from dealers (and their 50 per cent commission) and take control of their own careers. Speculation is rife about the likes of Richard Prince and Takashi Murakami to name just two.
Auctions may be, "democratic", as Hirst claims, but at the top end of the market they are rarely good for museums-few staff were present at the Sotheby's sale. While prices at auction rocket, dealers will often give plenty of time to pay and, according to Haunch of Venison head Harry Blain, will frequently exceed the 10-15 per cent discount routinely offered to museums.
Meanwhile, good value can be found at the final day of the Frieze art fair (16-19 Oct). Many dealers are reluctant to recrate, ship and reimport works that could be more profitably sold at a discount.
This is Jane Morris's last column for Museums Journal. She is the new editor of the Art Newspaper
