Sculptor Sanborn Auctions Secrets of His Iconic Cryptic Art, Kryptos

Thu Nov 13 2025 12:13:55 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Jim Sanborn's enigmatic sculpture, Kryptos, which has puzzled codebreakers for decades, is back in the spotlight as he auctions off the solution to its final unsolved code.

Jim Sanborn's iconic sculpture at the CIA's headquarters, known as Kryptos, has captivated codebreakers for years. With three of its four messages solved, the fourth, K4, remains a mystery. Now, at age 79, Sanborn is auctioning off the solution to K4, along with related material, potentially appointing a new guardian of its secrets. The auction is generating significant interest, emphasizing the enduring intrigue of Kryptos and the world of cryptography.

BOSTON (AP) — When Jim Sanborn was commissioned to create a sculpture at CIA headquarters, he sought to capture the allure of espionage and secret codes. The outcome was Kryptos, a breathtaking 10-foot-tall copper sculpture that resembles a page emerging from a fax machine.

The installation features a series of staggered alphabets that help decode four encrypted messages hidden on its surface. Sanborn, reflecting on his 1990 creation, noted, At the time, codes and encoding was an esoteric subject. ... I wanted it to be fun.

Soon after its dedication, the first three messages (K1, K2, K3) were cracked, but the final message, K4, remains an unsolved enigma, attracting the attention of enthusiastic codebreakers worldwide. In recognition of this growing interest, Sanborn is auctioning off the solution to K4 alongside various archive materials that will reveal the long-sought secrets.

The auction, conducted by RR Auction, began last month and will continue until November 20, with bids already reaching $201,841. Bobby Livingston, the auction's executive vice president, articulated the sculpture's captivating legacy: Kryptos has become a worldwide phenomenon. K4 has stumped professional cryptologists and amateurs alike.

The materials included in the auction encompass everything needed to solve K4 and the original coding charts for K1, K2, K3. Sanborn is notably cautious with these revelations, preferring to retain some mystery surrounding the intricate operation of his masterpiece.

Given the historic intrigue of Kryptos, its relevance has even bled into popular culture, appearing in novels like Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'The Lost Symbol'.

Initially, Sanborn considered halting the auction following a significant discovery made by two code enthusiasts who found Sanborn’s original scrambled texts at the Smithsonian Archives. Despite initial apprehensions, he has decided to move forward, highlighting the ongoing significance of unveiling K4 without fully disclosing the method used in its encoding.

As anticipation builds, many in the Kryptos community wish to keep K4's solution secret, contributing to the ongoing lore surrounding Sanborn's intricate art. This auction is shaping up not only as a sale of art but as the handover of a mantle — one that may soon belong to a new keeper of Kryptos's secrets.