‘Pokemonument’ statue headlining Sept. 25 auction
The unique bronzed fiberglass statue of the Pokémon character Pikachu, which mysteriously appeared in a New Orleans park earlier this summer, is set to sell Sept. 25 through Neal Auction Company.
NEW ORLEANS — A unique, news sensation “POKÉMONUMENT" statue is up for auction. Originally appearing in a New Orleans' park this past July, the statue is coming to bidders Sept. 25. The statue is among diverse lots Neal Auction Company is offering during its Important Fall Estates Auction.
People discovered the mysterious statue July 31, 2016, in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District’s Coliseum Square finger park. The bronzed fiberglass statue, which depicts the Pokémon figure Pikachu, has generated international attention. The“POKÉMONUMENT", also dubbed the “stealth sculpture,” and a “monument to pop culture,” draws many visitors. Not to mention controversy and vandaism. In order to prevent further damage to the work, the artists have decided upon its removal and sale at Neal Auction Company's Fall Estate Auction, with all the proceeds benefitting the Lower Garden District Parks & Fountains Fund.
“#Pokémonument was never conceived to be a permanent installation. We would like to use that positive momentum [the statue has garnered] to bring about a larger, more permanent change for our community," stated the artists, who remain anonymous. "We have donated #Pokémonument to the Coliseum Square Association to be auctioned off to help fund the restoration of the fountains in the park.”
Sale of #Pokémonument Poised to Aid Parks Fundraise
The Coliseum Square Association is the recipient of the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s (GNOF) Freeman Endowment Challenge grant of $25,000. The purpose is to establish an endowment benefitting the parks and fountains of New Orleans’ Lower Garden District. The Coliseum Square Association must raise $50,000 by December 31, 2016 to meet the terms. GNOF will match that with $25,000, creating a total endowment of $75,000. More at www.coliseumsquare.org and www.gnof.org
Karon Reese, Vice President of the Coliseum Square Association, added "New Orleans is full of
happy surprises. When we discovered #Pokémonument in a non-functioning fountain in our park one summer morning, the neighborhood enjoyed the pleasant surprise of a beautiful, new, whimsical sculpture. We watched as people from New Orleans and all over the world came to see Pikachu. However, the artists' desire to donate Pikachu to the neighborhood, without making a penny themselves, has probably been the biggest and happiest surprise of all.
"As Coliseum Square Association works to bring back the non-functioning fountains and improve the green spaces in the Lower Garden District, we gladly accept the artists' gift toward this effort. The whole city of New Orleans will have benefited from the mysterious gift that appeared in our park. A happy surprise, indeed."
For more information about this item and the Sept. 25 auction at Neal Auction Company, visit www.nealauction.com, call 800-467-5329, or email clientservices@nealauction.com.
