By the numbers: Those were the days edition

2100 Number of staff currently working for Christies
200.8 The number in millions of US dollars paid for works at the Damien Hirst auction
30 The salary in thousands of dollars reportedly paid to staff working for Damien Hirst
50 The percentage of staff let go by Hirst after the auction
6000 The number of times work by the painter Zhang Xiaogang appreciated over one year ($US 1000 to $US6 million)
60 The number of assistants working for German artist Anselm Reyle
26 The estimated dollar value in billions for the global contemporary art market over the last eight years
983 The percentage increase in sales of contemporary Chinese art between 2005 and 2006
300 The percentage rise in the Russian stock market between 2000 and 2005
2365 The percentage rise in the contemporary Russian art market between 2000 and 2005
57 The dollar value of Sotheby’s stock in 2007
8 The dollar value of Sotheby’s stock in 2008
23 Highest price in millions of dollars paid for a Jeff Koons sculpture
4 The number of houses Amy Capellazzo, head of Christies contemporary art division, famously referred to in her statement “After you have a fourth home and a G5 jet, what else is there?”
454 The number of contemporary art works that achieved more than $US1 million in the first half of 2006
15 The number of Chinese artists represented in the 35 most expensive contemporary artworks sold in 2007
1000 The number of contemporary artists that achieved auction record prices for their work in 2006