The disappearance of the Utah monolith adds intrigue to the case of its strange find

Never has a piece of metal given so much to talk about since the invention of the forge.

The disturbing steel monolith found among the canyons of the Utah desert (western United States), whose recent discovery has fueled a spiral of speculation to which one is more strange, has evaporated as it appeared, as if by magic.

The Utah spatial planning agency says it has received "credible testimonies" that the sculpture found by chance in mid-November by an air patrol mapping the number of bighorn sheep heads in the area, "was removed by an unknown person." on Friday night, despite the fact that at no time had the authorities specified its location to avoid an avalanche of onlookers, bounty hunters or fans of the paranormal.

"The Administration has not removed the sculpture, as it is considered private property," adds the official statement, and for this reason the disappearance, which would correspond to the

local

, is not being investigated at the moment.

The news of the find quickly went viral on the internet, and many compared the similarity of the sculpture - if it is, and not a malicious joke - with strange alien monoliths like that of the famous science fiction film directed in 1968 by Stanley Kubrick

, a classic of the genre and the history of cinema.

However, the most plausible hypothesis focuses on the minimalist sculptor John McCracken, the author of almost identical pieces exhibited for years in a New York gallery, as well as a science fiction fan and an enthusiast for extraterrestrial life.

As the story spread like wildfire across the Internet, a mad rush to find the exact location of the object was also unleashed, apparently in 2016, several years after McCracken's death, adding even more. suspense to the story.

With the help of the surrounding geological formations, the imposing reddish canyons of the southern Utah desert, thousands of Internet users traveled through the sickles through Google Maps until the last of its meanders, hoping to locate the piece, about 3 , 5 meters high.

But ultimately, and while waiting for the

office to

decide whether to take action on the matter, it is unknown who, human or alien, removed the hulk from the place.

John McCracken, an American artist known for his minimalist wood and metal sculptures, lived for a time in the state of New Mexico, neighboring Utah, and died in 2011. His son, photographer Patrick McCracken, told

newspaper this week.

that his father had told him in 2002 that he would love to "leave his works in lost environments to be discovered later."

Also this week, David Zwirner, McCracken's legal representative and one of the owners of the Manhattan gallery that exhibited his work, said that it is possible that the mysterious "monolith" is the work of the artist.

However, he affirmed that the gallery staff "is divided on this matter."