Editor’s Note
This article discusses the upcoming auction of Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous functional artwork “America,” a solid gold toilet. It is a replacement for the original, which was stolen in a high-profile heist from Blenheim Palace in 2019.
Have you ever heard of a golden toilet? This is no joke. The world’s most expensive toilet, made of solid 18-carat gold, is set to be auctioned soon. The renowned auction house Sotheby’s announced this on Friday. It is actually a famous artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, titled “America”.
This is not just for display, but a fully functional toilet. This toilet is exactly like the one that was stolen from England’s Blenheim Palace in 2019. That daring theft made headlines worldwide.
At the auction scheduled for November 18 in New York, its starting price is set based on the weight of the gold used. This toilet weighs over 101.2 kilograms, and the value of just this gold is estimated at approximately $10 million (around 83 crore rupees).
David Galperin, head of contemporary art at Sotheby’s, has described Cattelan as “a true master of the art world.” Cattelan is known for his satirical and provocative artworks.
He is the same artist whose artwork “Comedian”—a banana duct-taped to a wall—sold for $6.2 million at a New York auction last year. Another controversial artwork of his, “Him”, a sculpture of Adolf Hitler kneeling, sold for $17.2 million in 2016.
Artist Maurizio Cattelan has stated that “America” is a satire on extreme wealth and prosperity.
There were two versions, one was stolen.
In 2016, two versions of “America” were created. The version now being sold was with an anonymous collector from 2017 onwards.
The second version was displayed in a bathroom at New York’s Guggenheim Museum in 2016. It was open for public use, and over 100,000 people waited in long lines to use it.
The Guggenheim even offered this toilet to then-US President Donald Trump when Trump requested to borrow a Van Gogh painting for the White House.
In 2019, this toilet was displayed at England’s Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. Within days of being installed there, thieves broke into the building and forcibly ripped it from the plumbing, making off with it.
Earlier this year, two people were convicted for this theft and sent to jail. However, this precious toilet has not been recovered to this day. Investigators believe it was likely melted down to destroy evidence.
David Galperin does not want to speculate on how high “America” might sell for at auction. He says that Cattelan’s duct-taped banana raised the question of “how you value something that has, essentially, no real value other than its idea.”
Before the auction, “America” will be placed on display at Sotheby’s new New York headquarters (the Breuer Building) from November 8. It will be installed in a bathroom where viewers can see it up close.
But there is a big difference this time. Unlike at the Guggenheim and Blenheim Palace, where it was connected to plumbing and people could use it, this time viewers can only look at it—they cannot flush it.