It seems artists are often at the center of controversy, and that's true for British contemporary artist, Damien Hirst. British contemporary art magazine ArtReview recently released its 2008 edition of the Power 100, with Hirst topping the list. In a year that began with the setting of new auction records for contemporary art, and ended in global credit crunch, Hirst shone brightly. He became the first artist to bring his work directly to auction at Sotheby's London in September, grossing 111 million pounds in the process.