London's Natural History Museum has unveiled a new dinosaur species skeleton, valued at £450,000, after the gallery David Aaron brokered a deal with an anonymous American art-collecting couple based in the UK to acquire and donate the fossil. The specimen, excavated in 2021-22 in Colorado and initially thought to be a Nanosaurus, was identified by the museum as a new species named Enigmacursor. It was shown at Frieze Masters in 2023 before the donation, which is permanent and now on long-term view.
This collaboration between a commercial gallery and a museum is unusual but highlights a growing trend of art collectors expanding into scientific acquisitions. David Aaron's director Salomon Aaron notes that younger collectors from tech and science backgrounds are emerging as buyers of dinosaur fossils, and that such deals can create new patrons for natural history institutions. The donation demonstrates how the art market can directly support museum science, bridging the gap between private collecting and public education.