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The Beautiful Paintings<\/em>, Damien Hirst\u2019s most recent project of A.I.-generated works<\/a>, has proved a lucrative venture for the British artist and his technological collaborator, HENI<\/a>. In a nine-day sale that ended on April 10, Hirst sold 5,508 paintings (5,109 physical artworks and 399 NFTs) and generated $20.9 million in revenue.<\/p>\n The project is a digital remix of Hirst\u2019s Spin Paintings<\/em> from the 1990s and outsourced considerable creativity to collectors\u2014albeit channeled through artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n Using HENI\u2019s dashboard, collectors could determine the colors, style, size, and shape of the work they wanted to generate. The Beautiful Paintings<\/em> claimed to push the boundaries of art and wow people, though, in reality, the experience of click-tinkering on HENI felt reminiscent of customizing a pair of sneakers on NikeID in the early 2010s.<\/p>\n Damien Hirst, The Beautiful Paintings<\/em> (2023). Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Regardless, collectors went big on The Beautiful Paintings<\/em>, quite literally.<\/p>\n The largest size on offer for Hirst\u2019s squares and circles (extra-large, 100cm in diameter) were the most lucrative, generating $11.6 million. Circles also proved nearly three times more popular than squares, and physical works more popular than digital ones\u2014under 10 percent of the works created were NFTs.<\/p>\n This point on the enduring popularity of physical works was somewhat proved in Hirst\u2019s previous project straddling the line of physical and digital art: 2021\u2019s The Currency<\/em><\/a>. Collectors were issued a physical and digital version of the same work and then forced to burn one of them. The majority opted to ditch their NFT for the physical Hirst.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, the project earned the artist upwards of $89 million, according to his book on the collection, The Currency: Chronicles<\/em>.<\/p>\n Since gaining major art world attention in the late 1980s as part of the Young British Artists<\/a>, Hirst\u2019s work has come to be seen by collectors as a valuable investment. Somewhat perversely, Hirst has been one of his biggest collectors, courting controversy through engaging in unusual market practices such as buying back his own work<\/a>, an act some have labelled market manipulation.<\/p>\n Despite this critique, as proven by The Beautiful Paintings<\/em>, his work continues attract collectors\u2014or investors, if you\u2019re cynically minded.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n More Trending Stories:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A Roman-Era Vase, Once Considered a Cremation Vessel, Turns Out to Be an Early Form of Sports Memorabilia for a Gladiator Fan<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A Court Has Ruled That a Controversial Miriam Cahn Painting, Targeted by Far-Right Censors, Can Remain Hanging at the Palais de Tokyo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Asia Society Walks Back Its Decision to Blur Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in an Online Exhibition Following Accusations of Censorship<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sotheby\u2019s Glitch Art Sale, Which Was Paused Due to Online Backlash, Has Relaunched With a Newly Diverse Lineup of Artists<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Workers at a Brussels Museum Describe a \u2018Toxic\u2019 Work Environment Under Its Director\u2019s Rule of \u2018Terror\u2019<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n An Australian Man Using a Budget Metal Detector Discovered a 10-Pound Chunk of Gold Worth $160,000<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A Rolls-Royce Driver Plowed Over a $3 Million Damien Hirst Sculpture on the Palm Beach Lawn of a Prominent Collector Couple<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n