Damien Hirst in plagiarism row - does it really matter? http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100912/ART/709119970 Art may yet imitate life with Lehman Brothers' auction (Free registration may be required) http://www.efinancialnews.com/story/2010-09-13/art-may-yet-imitate-life-with-lehman-brothers-auction Damien Hirst Online http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/hirst_damien.html Art + Auction http://www.artinfo.com/artandauction/ Sotheby's http://www.sothebys.com/ The worlds of art and commerce have been linked essentially forever, and despite some poignant criticisms of this relationship, it probably won't change anytime soon. One artist who has benefited immensely from this relationship (and a growing market for certain types of art) is Damien Hirst. Hirst is perhaps the most prominent member of the group known as "Young British Artists", and his career began to take off in the late 1990s. He has attracted significant controversy for some of his more prominent works, including his series of dead animals preserved in formaldehyde. More recently, Hirst has been attracting new attention for another reason: his dwindling auction sales. In 2008, Hirst broke new records when $270 million worth of his art was sold at auction. While that was quite the banner year, the market in Hirst's work has slowed down significantly, and so far this year the average auction price for one of his pieces has dropped to 2002 prices. Many in the art world remain confident there will be a rebound in the near future, and Hirst is currently working on a catalogue raisonn", which may help make the market for his works a bit more robust. The first link leads to a recent piece from The Economist about the primary and secondary markets for Hirst's works as of late. The second link will take users to a bit of commentary from The National's Ben East on the recent charges of plagiarism leveled against Hirst. Moving on, the third link will whisk users away to a piece from Financial News about an upcoming auction of works by Hirst that once adorned the offices of the now-defunct investment bank Lehman Brothers. The fourth link leads to the Artcyclopedia entry for Hirst. Here visitors can find online galleries of his work culled from different museums around the world. Those with a particular interest in the world of art auctions will enjoy the link to the Art + Auction site. Here they can learn about recent and upcoming auctions, and also read pieces of gossip from the art auction world. The final link leads to the online home of Sotheby's, the international auction house that deals in all thing luxury, including Hirst artworks, posh real estate, and opulent chaise lounges from the reign of Louis XIV.