Auctioned T-Rex skeleton is exhibited in Antwerp

A dinosaur skeleton auctioned this week in Zurich is going to Antwerp in Belgium. The Koller auction house revealed the secret of the initially anonymous buyer on Friday. It is the non-profit art foundation Phoebus that wants to publicly exhibit the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex).

Because her cultural center will only be ready in a few years, she is now looking into whether the skeleton can be loaned to a museum, says foundation board member Katharina Van Cauteren. Scientists must also have access.

A private owner put up for auction the rare T-Rex skeleton “Trinity” on Tuesday. The foundation paid CHF 5.5 million for this. This includes the commission for the auction house. The skeleton measures 11.6 by 3.9 meters and consists of bones from three different animals that were excavated between 2008 and 2013 in the US states of Montana and Wyoming. 50 percent of the bones are original material. The T-Rex lived in what is now the United States more than 65 million years ago.

«The best possible result»

Trinity would be only the third T-Rex skeleton ever to be auctioned. It has been on display in Zurich for the past few weeks. In three weeks, 35,000 visitors had seen it. When it comes to auctioning fossils, there is always a fear among scientists that important material is being hidden behind closed doors.

The Phoebus Foundation was now able to allay these concerns with its announcement. “This is the best possible result we could have hoped for,” said the head of the auction house, Cyrill Koller.

In 2021, the foundation bought the almost 100 meter high Boerentoren in Antwerp. It dates from the thirties of the last century. After renovation, it will be opened as a cultural center within a few years. “We are incredibly proud that this spectacular specimen will be part of an important Phoebus Foundation project,” said Van Cauteren. (oee/sda/dpa)