Hirst "Spin" Painting Hot Lot at Dublin Auction

DUBLIN—A Damien Hirst "Spin" painting sold for €220,000 ($437,000) at an auction in Dublin Monday, more than 500 times the amount it fetched at another sale last year, the Independent reports. The piece, estimated at €100,000 to €150,000, was offered at Black's Auction of Premier Irish and International Art. "It was pretty nerve-wracking," said an auction house spokeswoman. "There was a good bit of frenzy and a huge crowd to see the painting." The painting last caused a stir when it went unnoticed at an anonymous Co Monaghan auction, where it sold for just €380, unrecognized among 41 works from unknown artists. Film director and art festival organizer Kevin Allen came up with the idea to slip the Hirst work into that sale to see if dealers could spot it.