Virtual Tour of the CIA

"Kryptos" Sculpture


Located in the northwest corner of the New Headquarters Building courtyard is a sculpture by artist James Sanborn entitled "Kryptos." Dedicated on November 3, 1990, the theme of this sculpture is "intelligence gathering." "Kryptos" incorporates native American materials such as wood and metal. A piece of petrified wood supports a large S-shaped copper screen that looks like a piece of paper coming out of a computer printer. On the "paper" are inscribed several enigmatic messages, each written in a different code. The sculpture continues to be a source of pleasure and mystery for Agency employees with a few employees taking the challenge to "break the code."


"Kryptos" Sculpture in the New Headquarters Building Courtyard incorporates native American materials with a theme of information gathering and cryptography.

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