Cattelan’s Hitler statue breaks record at Christie's 'curated' auction in New York yesterday https://t.co/erQkL7Fiimpic.twitter.com/s2KNyKpCMB
— The Art Newspaper (@TheArtNewspaper) May 9, 2016
This past Sunday, a sculpture by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan hit Christie's auction block. Called "Him," the statue—which looks like a kneeling child in a tweed suit, but with Hitler's face—is made of wax, resin, and human hair. Someone bought it for $17.2 million dollars—nearly $10 million more than anyone has ever paid for a piece by Cattelan, according to ABC News.
Now people would really like to know who it was. After a flurry of bids, the sculpture was sold "to an undisclosed buyer," the New York Times reports. "There are all sorts of conspiracy theories," an anonymous art consultant told Page Six. Though many think it was art collector François-Henri Pinault, others theorize it could have been Qatari Sheik Khalifa Al-Thani, who has been buying up pieces for years to populate the Museum of Islamic Art Doha, or Peter Brant, who is a known Cattelan fan.
"Him" has always courted controversy: some have said that it turns Hitler into a punchline, and one painter, Walter Robinson, called it "the most cynical avant-garde artwork in history." Cattelan himself has said that even while working on it, he wanted to destroy it. Now, the mystery buyer will have to decide what to do with it.
Every day, we track down a fleeting wonder—something amazing that's only happening right now. Have a tip for us? Tell us about it! Send your temporary miracles to cara@atlasobscura.com.