For The Love of God

Have you ever thought about starting a really avant garde art project and then put the brakes on because you didn't have enough cash flow to really pull it off well? An idea like soaking real animals in formaldehyde. I have. But, across the pond, there sleeps a creative soul; perhaps on a mattress stuffed with brand new euros. British artist Damien Hirst's work of art sold for $100 million to an unnamed investment group and Hirst reportedly was paid in cash. "For the Love of God" is a life-size cast of a human skull in platinum and covered by 8,601 pave-set diamonds weighing 1,106.18 carats. The single large diamond in the middle of the forehead is reportedly worth $4.2 million alone. Hirst financed the project himself, and estimates it cost between 10 and 15 million.

Newsflash: Art collectors don't give a shit about the economic situation.

With global stock markets plummeting, leaving millions worldwide to fret over their jobs and financial futures, news out of a London auction house this week proved there are a choice few who are still financially flush enough to spend outlandishly. The global financial crisis apparently did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm for British artist Damien Hirst's latest collection. In a record-breaking two-day event at Sotheby's in London, Hirst convinced buyers to buck the economic times -- to the tune of nearly $200 million. The show was titled "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever." I guess it was.