A functional solid gold toilet by artist Maurizio Cattelan, set for auction with a starting price of $10 million, is once again challenging perceptions of value and provocation within the contemporary art market. Sotheby’s recently announced the sale of “America,” a piece weighing over 101 kilograms (223 pounds) of 18-karat gold.
The staggering initial bid for the unique artwork is pegged directly to its intrinsic gold value. This move by Sotheby’s sparks renewed debate on whether the art or the material dictates its worth. The toilet is fully operational.
This is the same iconic artwork that garnered international attention after it was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England in 2019. That audacious theft further cemented the piece’s notoriety and added to its controversial history.
The version of “America” scheduled for auction has been privately held since 2017. It will be showcased by Sotheby’s in New York before its sale on November 18.
Cattelan, an Italian artist, created “America” to satirize excessive wealth, according to his own statements. Sotheby’s describes the piece as a commentary on the intersection of artistic production and commodity value.
The artist is renowned for his boundary-pushing creations. His work “Comedian,” a banana taped to a wall, previously sold for $6.2 million. Another notable piece, “Him,” a sculpture depicting Adolf Hitler kneeling, fetched $17.2 million at a 2016 auction.
David Galperin, Sotheby’s head of contemporary art in New York, called Cattelan “the consummate provocateur of the art world.” His pieces consistently generate both criticism and enthusiasm in the market.
Another version of “America” was famously displayed at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2017. It attracted more than 100,000 visitors, many of whom queued for the chance to interact with the artwork. The museum even offered the piece to then-President Donald Trump during his first term.
The upcoming auction will serve as a significant test for the market’s appetite for such symbolic, high-value, and unconventional assets. It also raises practical considerations for prospective buyers, including the complex logistics of transporting, insuring, and securely storing a solid gold artwork.