Damien Hirst painting of Leonardo DiCaprio sells for more than €1m at auction
By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
A painting of Leonardo DiCaprio by Damien Hirst has been bought for more than £1 million at auction.
The colourful work, a household gloss on canvas, was signed by both the British artist and Titanic actor DiCaprio before being sold at the amfAR gala in Cannes to raise money for Aids research.
The organisation confirmed to the PA news agency that the piece, which formed part of Hirst’s Spin Paintings and was dated as 2016 online, was bought for €1.2 million on Thursday.
However, it did not receive the highest bid of the night, with a bespoke Aston Martin going for €1.5 million.
The work was donated by collector Christian Levett, who said on Instagram he bought the piece at a DiCaprio party in St Tropez in 2016.
Oscar-winning actor DiCaprio, 48, was reportedly in attendance at the amfAR gala along with his mother Irmelin Indenbirken.
Other stars including Hollywood actresses Rebel Wilson and Eva Longoria, British actors Ed Westwick and Kate Beckinsale, and model Heidi Klum were pictured at the 29th edition of the auction by the foundation.
Singers Bebe Rexha, Halsey, Gladys Knight and Adam Lambert were also set to be among the performers on the night.
On Saturday, DiCaprio’s new movie Killers Of The Flower Moon made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival.
The western follows the story of Native Americans in the 1920s and also stars Robert De Niro and is directed by Martin Scorsese.
Hirst emerged on to the art scene in the late 1980s and is known for his eclectic work, which has included butterfly collages as well as controversial creations such as a formaldehyde-preserved shark.
In 2014 at an amfAR event in Cannes, the 57-year-old’s sculpture, which contained the gilded skeleton of a woolly mammoth, was auctioned for €11 million.
