Bono auction raises $42m for Aids

Banksy's Keep it Spotless painting broke a record for the artist

An auction organised by U2 star Bono and artist Damien Hirst has raised $42.5m (£21.6m) towards the global fight against Aids.

Hirst donated seven of his works to the art sale in New York, including a cabinet filled with drugs to treat HIV, which fetched $7.15m (£3.6m).

The auction broke records for 17 artists, including Banksy, whose Keep It Spotless work made $1.8m (£950,300).

The price reached was more than six times its pre-sale estimate.

"Tonight we got serious about love, and not just the love of art, but the love of our brothers and sisters suffering from Aids in the poorest places on the planet," said Bono.

'Change the world'

Hirst said the success of the evening had "not sunk in yet".

"I'm never going to be cynical ever again for a while," he added. "We've helped change the world a little bit."

The auction, organised with the help of Sotheby's, was held at the Gagosian Gallery in Manhattan.

Bono's new global brand, Product Red, which gives a share of its profits towards the fight against Aids in Africa, also lent its name to the event.

Other sales included Jeff Koons' Balloon Rabbit Wall Relief (Red), which was snapped up for just over $2m (£1.03m).

The proceeds go to the United Nations Foundation to support HIV/Aids relief programmes in Africa, organised by the Global Fund to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.