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Inside the factory that is making Damien Hirst the world's richest artist ever; Reward of fame: Hirst's country home Toddington Manor is a far cry from the traditional view of the lonely artist's freezing garret Diamond geezer: Damien Hirst with his [pounds sterling]50 million skull and, right, with his wife Maia Norman.

Article Excerpt
Byline: DAVID COHEN

UPSTAIRS in the inner sanctum of the White Cube Gallery, in an areareserved for serious buyers away from the prying eyes of the public, I ask aquestion that sales assistant Richard Thompson finds uncomfortable: did DamienHirst do anything on this painting except sign it? "Well, er, Damien had a hugeamount of input," he says cagily. But did he physically do anything? Thompsonaverts his gaze and skilfully changes the subject.

Downstairs, a member of staff invigilating Hirst's [pounds sterling]1 million Biopsy Paintingsand Birth Paintings offers a similarly obscurantist view: "The gallery told usthat if asked, we should say: 'Yes, but how much we're not quite sure.'" Butwhen it comes to the exhibition's centrepiecethe [pounds sterling]50 million diamondencrusted skull, For the Love of GodThompson is unequivocal. "Fifty million pounds might seem like a ridiculousamount of money for diamonds arranged on a platinum skull, but it's all aboutthe uniqueness of the idea and the fact that there will always be only onepiece like it.

Mark my words, it will be sold." And so it has. Yesterday, two months after mymeeting with Thompson, a White Cube spokesman revealed that the skull has beenbought by an unnamed investment group for cash.

It has crowned a remarkable summer for 42-year-old Hirst.

First came the [pounds sterling]9.6 million sale of Lullaby Spring, a medical cabinet withpills placed on razor blades, at a Sotheby's auction, which broke all recordsfor a living artist. Then his White Cube exhibition was hailed as "the mostlucrative in the galleries' history", selling out and raising a staggering [pounds sterling]130million for Hirst and his London dealer, Jay Jopling.

The skull, made with 8,601...

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