09/03/2024 07:25:28 AM 
He seems to know exactly how to manipulate the "wants" of his collectors to get just what he needs.
Last year, he created a diamond skull "For the Love of God". There were rumors that it would be sold for $100 million, but revealed that the cost of the diamonds were only 4 million sterling. It's now believed that the skull hasn't been sold to a buyer and that it remains in Hirst's hands, it's only purpose being to market Hirst and to make sure his name stays front and center of the art world.
On the 15th and 16th of September, Hirst, in collaboration with Sothebys is trying to sell over 200 of his works at one time. It's a sale that could net him 65 million sterling. and add to his current wealth which is estimated to lie somewhere between 100-500 million.
The auction even has a "brand name", "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever".
Interestingly for the art world, there's a 2.0 marketing campaign with Facebook pages and YouTube videos, not exactly the places you expect to find Hirst's multi-millionaire collectors, but interesting nevertheless.
Here's the Facebook page.
There are some of the relatively unwatched YouTube videos that look suspiciously like 30 second TV spots. It would be good to learn if they actually ran.
Here's one..
Another and another...
It's a tricky time to try and pull off a coup like this with the global economy in such turmoil and it remains to be seen if Hirst can sell this massive collection.
However, in an era classified by the complexity of gaining attention, surely an art form in its own right, Hirst stands alone as the one artist who has not only built awareness, he's amassed a massive fortune while doing it.
Posted by Ed Cotton
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