The giant naked cyclops next to the E17 motorway in the municipality of Waregem (West Flanders) has been sold for nearly €30,000 on Thursday evening.
The auction of the giant, which has become a 7.50-meters tall icon along the Belgian motorway, closed at 19:00 on Thursday. The new owner offered €29,513 for the giant and other parts, such as the 2-meter high table and the iron frame.
"I am glad that the giant will get a new story in Flanders," former owner of the cyclops and art lover Hervé Missiaen told VRT. "The Cyclops' aim was to make at least one person smile every day along the E17 motorway and I think that mission has certainly been accomplished."
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"A lot of people will miss the giant in the end, because it had become an iconic reference point. I am satisfied that it has been sold, now I can focus on my own future plans. It is just important that the giant continues to live on," he added.
In 1998, the cyclops was made by artist Marco Boggio-Sella as part of an international art project at the SMAK in Ghent. In 2021, it was purchased by Missiaen, who placed it next to the motorway and will now donate part of the proceeds to a good cause within the healthcare sector.
The new buyer is someone from Ghent and will come forward on Friday or Saturday, manager of Openbare-verkopen.be Dries Seynaeve told De Morgen.
