relationship between money and art it might as well be them, these superstars seem to be saying. "The big money has traditionally been made in the secondary (resale) market - without the artist's participation," Hirst reasons. "But as artists get smarter they want to control the secondary market."

If the art market is now only about money, then Hirst is the best placed to say it. "I think it used to be more fun, more relaxed and enjoyable," he says. "Art is a lot more popular than it used
to be, there's a lot more interest in it, a lot more money around, and it's more acceptable as currency. When it gets to be like that you have to be bit more careful."

At auction, the hammer price (plus the house commission, a system of tricky caveats and complex third party deals) is the market price fair and square. That, Hirst reasons, is not always the case with a dealer. "It's a very cynical way of looking at

it, but for a gallery it's almost better to sell to the person with the least amount of money - because they'll be able to get it back, re-sell it and make a commission each time. But it's in the artist's interest to sell for the most amount of money."

Still, Hirst cautions against reading too much into his salesroom
caper - he's a noted master of playing dealer against dealer and,
presumably here, saleroom against saleroom. "There are only two
important people in any transaction - the buyer and the seller, the

guy who makes it and the guy who buys it," he reasons. "Galleries are only middlemen... and the middlemen in any business are always changing."
Pre-sale viewing starts today at Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London, and continues until the auction on September 15