Damien Hirst’s diamond skull has reportedly been sold for $100 million!
The buyers were an unnamed investment group.

BBC reported, that the spokeswoman for the White Cube gallery in London could not give further details about the buyers, but they planned to re-sell the artwork at a later date while Hirst retains part-ownership.

Based on the skull of a 35-year-old 18th century European man, the artwork caused a sensation when it first went on display in central London. (I was sure that the price tag would attract a lot of attention) Some critics dismissed it as tasteless while others saw it as a reflection of celebrity-obsessed culture. Following its sale, a global tour for the artwork is planned. However, no dates or locations have been confirmed.

Bloomberg reported, that the sale is expected to close in three to four weeks, when all the paperwork is finished. The group of buyers would be required to show the skull for two or three years in museums around the world. The skull’s sale would enrich Hirst, 42, whose fortune has been valued at 130 million pounds by the London-based Sunday Times and who may get 75 percent or more of the proceeds of a sale, according to art professionals. At about 50 million pounds, the skull would represent a price increase for Hirst that exceeded even those of Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol, which tripled or quadrupled their auction records in May. Hirst’s record of 9.7 million pounds — the highest for a living artist at auction — was set in June at Sotheby’s, when a telephone bidder bought a pill cabinet, “Lullaby Spring,” that cost the New York seller about 730,000 pounds in 2002, auctioneers said.