A gold toilet by artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $12.1 million. The fully functional sculpture, titled «America,» is made of 18-karat gold and weighs approximately 100 kilograms. The opening bid, based on the current gold price of $130,000 per kilogram, was set at $10 million.
Despite the enthusiastic presentation and encouraging remarks by the auctioneer, there was little excitement around the lot, which was eventually acquired by Cassandra Hatton, vice chairwoman of Sotheby’s.
The artwork was first displayed for more than 100,000 people at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2016, where visitors were even allowed to sit on it.
What is Maurizio Cattelan known for?
The work became the second-best seller by Cattelan, after his piece «Him» — a sculpture depicting a kneeling Hitler — sold for $17.2 million several years ago.
Another famous piece by the artist is «The Comedian,» consisting of a banana taped to a wall. Last year, it sold for $6.24 million.
The golden toilet is also notorious for its criminal history: one version of the work was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019 and remains missing. Investigators believe it was likely cut up and sold in pieces.
According to the artist, the precious-metal artwork symbolizes capitalism and the inequality in modern society.
Earlier this year, «California» by Yves Klein was sold for a record €18.4 million at Christie’s.
