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The available evidence does not support a reliable ranking of Damien Hirst’s ten most expensive works ever sold. It does identify several exceptional auction results: The Golden Calf was reported at £10,345,250 in 2008, while Lullaby Spring was reported at £9.6 million in 2007. Those figures come from a secondary market roundup, not verified final-price records on the auction houses’ pages consulted here, so they are best treated as reported results rather than a definitive top-ten ranking.
Why there is no defensible top ten
A ranking of the ten highest sales requires comparable, completed transactions: each work’s sale date, venue, currency, final price convention and payment status. The consulted Sotheby’s artist page identifies notable past lots and sale dates, but the entries surfaced for The Golden Calf and Lullaby Spring show estimates rather than final results. MyArtBroker reports selected prices, but those claims alone do not establish a complete, lot-by-lot ranking.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Damien Hirst: The Civilisation Paintings | $18.26 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Damien Hirst: Reverence, Revelation, Devotion | $75.81 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Damien Hirst: ABC Book | $22.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Damien Hirst: Colouring Book | $7.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Damien Hirst: The Currency | $70.78 | Buy on Amazon |
Price conventions also matter. An auction result may refer to the hammer price or a total that includes the buyer’s premium. Without a verified lot record establishing the convention, an exact figure should not be compared as though its basis were certain. Currency conversions would add another variable: the rate and date would need to be specified.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWhat are Damien Hirst’s highest reported auction results?
| Work | Reported result and sale | What is established |
|---|---|---|
| The Golden Calf | £10,345,250; Sotheby’s, 2008 | MyArtBroker reports this result. Sotheby’s lists the work among the past lots from its Beautiful Inside My Head Forever evening sale, but the consulted artist-page entry surfaces an estimate rather than the final price. The auction-house price convention is not established in the consulted material. |
| Lullaby Spring | £9.6 million; Sotheby’s, June 2007 | MyArtBroker reports the result, and Sotheby’s confirms a past-lot listing dated 21 June 2007. The surfaced Sotheby’s text gives an estimate, not the final result or its price convention. |
| The Kingdom | Nearly £9.6 million; Sotheby’s, September 2008 | MyArtBroker reports this result. The consulted material does not establish an exact amount or auction-house price convention. |
These are notable reported figures, not a verified ranking. Because their conventions and exact comparability are not established in the consulted records, the amounts should not be used to claim a precise order across all Hirst sales.
#1 Best Overall
How to interpret “sold” at auction
An announced auction result does not always prove that the buyer paid. MyArtBroker reports that the buyer of Lullaby Winter failed to pay after its 2007 Christie’s sale, and that Christie’s sold the work again in 2015. That distinction matters when compiling record prices: a hammer fall, an announced result, a later resale and a completed transaction are not interchangeable facts.
Did For the Love of God sell at auction?
Christie’s describes For the Love of God as a platinum-cast human skull set with 8,601 diamonds. The Christie’s material consulted here establishes that description, but not a public auction price for the work. It therefore should not be inserted into an auction-price ranking on the basis of reported asking-price or private-sale claims.
Rank #2
Why Hirst’s other sales belong in a different comparison
Hirst’s market includes animal installations, medicine and pill cabinets, spot and spin paintings, butterfly works, and editions and works on paper. These categories differ in form and scale, so results from one tier do not automatically belong alongside headline prices for major unique works.
Phillips’ June 2025 dedicated Hirst live sale totalled £487,553, with 31 of 36 lots sold. Phillips also reported The Virtues (H9) (2021) at £82,550 and Rejoicing Blossom at £50,800. The sale included Cherry Blossom, Spot, Spin and butterfly motifs. These are useful examples of activity in Hirst editions and related works, but they do not establish the highest prices for unique works.
Rank #3
- Used Book in Good Condition
Hirst’s work in context
Christie’s describes Hirst as a leading Young British Artist who came to prominence in London in the late 1980s. He studied at Goldsmiths under Michael Craig-Martin and organised the 1988 Freeze exhibition. Christie’s says he won the Turner Prize in 1995 for a body of work that included Mother and Child (Divided), and identifies life, death, art, science and consumerism as recurring concerns in his work.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
Sources
- Sotheby’s Damien Hirst artist page lists past lots and sale details; the consulted entries do not provide the final prices for the two leading examples above.
- Christie’s Damien Hirst artist page provides biographical and artistic context.
- Phillips’ June 2025 sale release reports results for its dedicated Hirst auction and related editions sales.
- MyArtBroker’s Hirst auction-price roundup reports selected historical prices and the Lullaby Winter payment caveat.
- Christie’s George Michael Collection feature describes For the Love of God and its diamonds.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
