Where are they now?
Damien Hirst is the most financially successful of the YBA artists, and is surpassed only by Gerhard Richter (German, b.1932) as the all-time top-selling living artist. Best known for his infamous Pharmacy sale in 2008, Hirst’s market has struggled to rebound to pre-crash levels, with his 2012 sales volume at a fraction of what it was five years ago. Hirst’s famous Spot Paintings have retained their value even throughout the crash, and will be the subject of a major catalogue raisonné to be published this fall.
Tracey Emin (British, b.1963) has achieved higher returns than any other YBA artist in the past 10 years; since 2003, her index is over 200% benefitting from high demand and average sale prices. So far this year, Emin’s total sales volume has already exceeded 2012 levels, showing promising signs of surpassing the 2010 high.
Marc Quinn (British, b.1964) achieved four of his top five prices at auction in the last three years. Quinn’s most expensive work, Myth Venus, sold for US$1.2 million in May of 2011, marking the first time his work had broken the million dollar mark at auction. Quinn is also one of the top five highest selling YBA artists behind Hirst and Glenn Brown (British, b.1966).
