Truth behind bizarre metal structure found in middle of desert

The truth behind a giant, four-metre-tall metal structure found in the middle of a desert has been revealed, with one person claiming it’s the work of a late sculpture artist.

The monolith was discovered last week in the US state of Utah by a team conducting a count of bighorn sheep via helicopter.

The taskforce, comprised of Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, filmed a video of the strange structure and jokingly labelled it an “alien life form”.

After the images of the monolith went viral, an art dealer and gallery owner has come forward claiming it was installed by a minimalist artist named John McCracken, who died nine years ago.

David Zwirner, who represented Mr McCracken as an agent, said he is convinced of the object’s origin - though his colleagues aren’t quite as sure.

"The gallery is divided on this," Mr Zwirner said in a statement.

"I believe this is definitely by John."

Posting to Twitter, Mr Zwirner shared a photo of the monolith in the desert alongside an almost identical structure inside one of his art galleries.

“The portal to Utah is at David Zwirner 20th Street,” he tweeted.

If the monolith is one of Mr McCracken’s art installations, it would mean it has stood in the desert unnoticed for at least nine years.

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The exact location of the structure is being kept secret as the Department of Public Safety said “there is a significant possibility” visitors to the remote area could become stranded and require rescue.

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