Hirst's $10m Art Commission

Bloomberg reports that Damien Hirst, one of the most expensive living artists, is working on a commission that could run to $10 million or more for an art show at Lever House in Manhattan, real-estate developer Aby Rosen said. The New York art installation may include Hirst classics such as sheep in formaldehyde, a shark and medicine cabinets, said Rosen, who commissioned the work. "With Hirst, you never know what you're getting." The U.K. artist's show is scheduled for the fall, said Alberto Mugrabi, a New York private art dealer who is a friend and adviser to Rosen. The landmark building Lever House, which has regular art shows in the lobby, drew a lot of attention from Manhattanites when it put up a statue of a partly skinned pregnant woman by Hirst outside. German-born Rosen, 46, is one of a new generation of developers including Miami's Craig Robins who use contemporary art to give buildings an identity and even add value. "Art adds to the physical value of the building," Rosen said in a telephone interview last night. "You can't quantify how much value you're adding in terms of rents, but people who're interested in art tend to gravitate to those buildings. Hirst is one of the most important living artists." Irish Art