Art World Star Doesn't Change His Spots.

LONDON -- Just as the financial markets were heading for disaster in 2008, the British artist Damien Hirst snubbed his dealers and persuaded Sotheby's here to sell 223 primarily new artworks. There were dead animals -- sharks, zebras, piglets and even a calf -- floating in giant glass tanks of formaldehyde; cabinets filled with diamonds; and cigarette butts. And paintings galore: spin paintings, spot paintings, paintings with butterflies pinned under glass. More than 21,000 people flocked to Sotheby's to see the preview exhibition. The two-day sale in September, conducted against the backdrop of the unfolding world financial crisis, brought in a total of $200.7 million. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]