The shark seemed to be taunting us auction-goers for weeks. I first saw it on a very high shelf at one of my favorite auction houses. The thing was a monstrosity.
I tried my best to figure out who’d want an oversized shark. It obviously came from someone’s estate; hence, its presence here at the auction house. Was the owner a deep-sea fisherman or woman? A collector of not miniatures but gargantuan items? Was the owner so into sharks that he or she would buy one this big or have one made? Who’d do it?
I found out that the shark was waiting to be sold at an upcoming Modern Design sale, which was held this week. I guess it fitted into the sale in some curious way – maybe as an odd design. I’ve seen some other unusual pieces up for bids here, some of which I’ve written about. This seems to be the place to find that something “different.”
On the day of the sale, an auction assistant told me that the shark had indeed come from an estate. Where did they keep it? I asked. Hanging on a wall, he said. He also mentioned that he expected it to sell well, because a lot of people had inquired about. I’m quite sure that some folks saw it on the auction house’s website.
This is how it was described on the website:
9 foot long fiberglass hammerhead shark. Damien Hirst, eat your heart out. Very good condition, couple of small scuffs and chips. Height: 40 inches: Depth: 18 inches: Length: 9 feet.
British artist Hirst is known for his somewhat eccentric art, the most famous of which was a 13-foot tiger shark preserved in a glass tank of formaldehyde. Publicly released in 1992, he gave it the name “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living.” It was on display for three years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York until last year.
I wasn’t around when the hammerhead was sold. I hope it got its due.
I found a few other unusual items at the auction. The descriptions are from the auction sheets:
An unmarked Maitland-Smith faux horn stool with a faux leather seat cushion. This was a very strange-looking piece of furniture that in its strangeness was also appealing. It was definitely a stride-stopper because it stopped me while I was browsing the furniture at the auction.
The company Maitland-Smith designs and sells decorative accessories, lighting and furniture, and has done so for 30 years, according to its website. Its furniture brands are names we are familiar with: Broyhill, Lane, Henredon and Thomasville.
Contemporary anatomical shadowbox wall sculpture. Inside the slots were plaster pieces of human body forms. Interesting but a little creepy, don’t you think? Another stride-stopper because it was so different.
Mid-century plastic molded hand chairs in brown and white. They were sold separately but were grouped together – almost symbolically.
