Damien Hirst's Spin AK-47 for Peace One Day has sold as the top lot in a charity auction that featured works donated by leading contemporary artists.
The London sale, entitled AKA Peace, was organised by Peace One Day, with the profits benefitting its Global Truce Day 2013. Curated by Jake Chapman of the renowned Chapman Brothers, the auction featured works from Antony Gormley, Marc Quinn and Sam Taylor-Wood, among others.
Chapman commented: "I am not readily associated with a sense of philanthropic optimism, but after a meeting with Jeremy Gilley, my pessimism was suspended in favour of supporting this audacious attempt to intervene against human injustice."
 Hirst's AK-47 displaying his famous Spin Painting technique |
Hirst's spin-painted AK-47 sold for £55,000 ($89,031), achieving a 57.1% increase on its high estimate of £35,000 ($56,656). The work was formerly part of the Peace One Day exhibition at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts, which ran from September 30.
 Gormley's Silence saw the second highest bids of the sale |
The auction's second highest bids were seen for Antony Gormley's Silence, which sold for £50,000 ($80,913). The work comprised a steel frame representing the human form with an AK-47 fitted inside, replacing the figure's throat.
The Chapman Brothers donated two sculptures of young girls holding AK-47s, entitled Yin and Yang. A typically vulgar offering from Jake and Dino, they sold for £35,000 ($56,656) and £45,000 ($72,826), respectively. The auction raised £417,100 ($675,021) for the charity in all.
Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for more of the latest from across the art world.
