The strange monolith they discovered in the Utah desert has disappeared

Never has a piece of metal given so much to talk about. The haunting monolith of steel found among the desert canyons of Utah (western United States), whose recent discovery fueled a spiral of speculation evaporated as it emerged.

Utah’s Space Planning Agency claims to have received “Credible testimony” that the sculpture found by chance in mid-November by an air patrol mapping the number of sheep heads in the area, “He was removed by an unknown person” Friday evening, when the authorities had not specified its location to avoid an avalanche of onlookers, bounty hunters or fans of the paranormal. “The Administration has not removed the sculpture because it is considered private property,” the official statement added, and it is precisely for this reason that the case, which would correspond to the local sheriff, is not yet studied.

// They found a mysterious metal monolith in the middle of the Utah desert

News of the discovery quickly went viral and many compared the similarity of the sculpture – if so, and not a joke – with strange alien monoliths like the famous science fiction film directed in 1968 by Stanley Kubrick 2001: a space odyssey, a classic in the genre and in the history of cinema. However, the most plausible hypothesis focuses minimalist sculptor John McCracken, author of nearly identical pieces exhibited for years in a New York gallery, as well as a science fiction fan and alien life enthusiast.

It was discovered by officials while counting sheep.

As the story unfolded like wildfire, it broke loose too a mad race to find the exact place where the object was located, apparently in 2016, several years after McCracken’s death, adding even more suspense to the plot. Using the surrounding geological formations, the towering reddish canyons of the southern Utah desert, thousands of internet users have searched Google Maps in hopes of locating the piece, which stands about 3.5 meters high. But ultimately, and while waiting for the sheriff’s office to take action on this, it’s unclear who pulled the carcass from the scene.

John mccracken, an American artist known for his minimalist wood and metal sculptures, lived for a time in neighboring New Mexico, Utah, and died in 2011. His son, photographer Patrick McCracken, told the newspaper this week The New York Times that his father had told him in 2002 that he would like “leave their works in lost environments to discover later ”.

Also this week, David Zwirner, McCracken’s legal representative and one of the owners of the Manhattan Gallery who exhibited his work, said it was possible that the mysterious “monolith” is the work of the artist. However, he claimed that gallery staff “are divided on this issue.”