Record price for Hirst painting

A "SPIN" painting by British art's enfant terrible, Damien Hirst, fetched a record pounds 76,300 at auction yesterday.

The painting, created bypouring paint on to a revolving canvas, was sold to a phone bidder at Christie's contemporary art sale. It's estimated sale price was pounds 40,000-pounds 60,000. Also exceeding predictions was the artist's Untitled AAAAAA, a medicine cabinet he created in 1992, which went for pounds 106,000.

Hirst began painting his celebrated Spin paintings in 1995, the year he won the Turner Prize in 1995 for Away from the Flock, a sheep carcass in a formaldehyde-filled glass case. His inspiration was a demonstration of the technique on the children's show Blue Peter. The work sold yesterday, entitled Beautiful, four cheese, spicy, quatro, staggioni, forentine, Michaelangelo, venetian glass, pamplona painting, was created in 1997.

Facing The World, a body cast made by Angel Of The North artist Antony Gormley, went for pounds 56,500 at the sale in London yesterday.

Last year Hirst donated a spin painting as the prize for the Big Issue. The painting, entitled: What's got a Bottom on the Top Chris Callaghan Swirly Pink Painting (With Smoked Fag) was won by an aspiring artist, Chris Callaghan.