When you invest $3 million on a sculpture, you anticipate that it will last for a while. But as a recent event shows, that isn’t always the case.
According to a Tuesday report a woman in Palm Beach, Florida, smashed her Rolls-Royce into a Damien Hirst sculpture in March. The 66-year-old’s convertible struck some backyard art before crashing through a seawall and coming to rest on the beach. No one else was hurt in the collision, and the driver was taken to a hospital.
Steven Tananbaum, a hedge fund manager and art collector, and his wife Lisa are the owners of the Hirst. The sculpture, titled Sphinx, was produced by the English artist in 2017 as part of the project “Treasures From the Wreck of the Unbelievable,” which included multiple fake items and a documentary that explained the histories of each one. This specific sculpture is designed like a sphinx and is coated in coral and barnacles, which go perfectly with Palm Beach style.
According to the Tananbaums, Sphinx suffered serious harm. The Palm Beach Daily News captured a picture of the iconic object knocked off its pedestal. Police said the driver didn’t appear to be drunk, but she was unable to recollect the hours before the collision.
It is uncertain how the Rolls fared. Photos show the front of the car sitting on the sand while the back is parked against the seawall. Although it’s impossible to judge from the photographs alone, it doesn’t appear to be severely damaged. Again, it’s tough to tell from the photos, but the vehicle appears to be either a Dawn or Phantom Drophead Coupé. Despite the fact that both models have been retired, you could still expect to pay six figures for them on the used market.
