The artistic foundation of Belgian businessman Fernand Huts, called “Phoebus Foundation” bought the skeleton of a tyrannosaurus rex at an auction in Zurich (Switzerland) on Tuesday, the Koller auction house announced on Friday. Its age has been estimated at 65 to 67 million years.
The buyer initially remained anonymous, but Huts now stepped forward.
The “Trinity” skeleton is set to be exhibited in the entrepreneur’s cultural centre in Antwerp, which is within the Boerentoren building. The location is currently being refurbished by famous Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind, who is also responsible for the design of the Jewish Museum in Berlin.
While the refurbishments are ongoing, the giant skeleton is set to be loaned to a museum. This loan is approved by researchers, who do not typically approve of ancient skeletons being entrusted to private owners.
Credit: Koller Auktionen
The entrepreneur’s foundation spent €5.6 million on the skeleton, including the auction house’s commission. The skeleton measures 1.6 metres by 3.9 metres and is composed of remains from three different fossils, discovered between 2008 and 2013 in the American states of Montana and Wyoming.
Half of the bones are of natural origin. The T-Rex once roamed the earth more than 65 million years ago in regions which today comprise the US.
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“Trinity” is the third T-Rex to ever be auctioned. The skeleton was on display in Zurich and was visited by around 35,000 visitors in the last few weeks, receiving international media attention.
“We are very proud to own this spectacular specimen as part of the Boerentoren project,” said Katharian Van Cauteren, Chief of Staff at the Phoebus Foundation.
