The monument found few fans in the local community, with social media users fearing that its blank stare and alien-like features would scare children
- Eerie silver sculpture sparked terror in Russian city of Novovoronezh
- Much-mocked dead-eyed monument torn down
- The statue fetches $35,000 from an mystery bidder
An eerie dead-eyed ‘Zombie Angelina Jolie’ statue, which terrified residents in Russian city of Novovoronezh, lasted just three days after the unveiling, before it was torn down after outcry from locals.
Named ‘Alenka’, the statue had been erected in honor of the 250th anniversary of the village first founded on the site.
However, the monument found few fans in the local community, with social media users fearing that its blank stare and alien-like features would scare children.
One social media user wrote that it was “more like a monument dedicated to the victims of COVID-19. It’s a pity that they didn’t put it at the entrance to the city.” Others said it more closely resembled rock singer Marilyn Manson or a “Zombie Angelina Jolie,” and the statue quickly became a meme on Russian-language social networks.
The statue was torn down by authorities just days after it was unveiled in a ceremony by the city’s mayor.
At the end, an anonymous bidder splashed about $35,000 at the auction to get hold of the bizarre sculpture.
The ‘Alenka’ monument was listed for a starting price of 1 million rubles ($13,650) on Monday, but four bidders battled it out to secure the statue, driving its price up to 2.6 million (around $35,500). The seller reportedly plans to donate the proceeds to charity.
The official from the Russian Auction House, where the lot was on offer told local media that “the sale showed, firstly, that thanks to the attention of society and the media, the status of the subject of the auction has risen to unprecedented heights.” According to him, the circumstances of the sale “made the art object not only a subject of discussion, but also an investment object.”
