Abu Dhabi Revealed as Buyer of $32M T-Rex 'Stan'

The buyer of the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton 'Stan', sold by Christie's in 2020 for $32 million, has been revealed as the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi. The fossil will be displayed at the new Natural History Museum opening in 2025 on Saadiyat Island. Stan, discovered in South Dakota in 1987 by paleontologist Stan Sacrison, is one of the most complete T-Rex skeletons ever found, with over 180 bones. It was sold during Christie's New York's 20th Century Sale in October 2020, amidst strict pandemic measures, as part of a cross-category strategy mixing prehistoric fossils with modern art. The sale set a record for the most expensive fossil ever auctioned. The museum, spanning 35,000 square meters, will narrate Earth's life history and serve as a hub for scientific research and education. Saadiyat Island is already home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi (designed by Jean Nouvel, opened 2017) and will soon host the Zayed National Museum (by Norman Foster) and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.