Installation view, "Maurizio Cattelan: America," at The Guggenheim Museum.
Photo: Kristopher McKay
Maurizio Cattelan’s $6 Million Gold Toilet Was Stolen in Under 5 Minutes
The commode had been on display at Blenheim Palace at the time of its theft—and has never been recovered
Talk about a potty break. It took a group of thieves less than five minutes to steal Maurizio Cattelan’s $6 million 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace back on September 14, 2019, in what prosecutors are calling an “audacious raid.” The toilet, titled America by the conceptual artist, weighed over 214 pounds and has never been recovered.
The satirical work is back in the spotlight as three men face trial for the alleged crime, with prosecutors claiming one of the suspects committed the theft while the other two helped to sell the golden throne, according to The Associated Press.
At the time, the toilet had been on display at Blenheim Palace, where visitors could book a three-minute appointment to use the fully functioning commode. The hastiness of the smash-and-grab left water gushing from the pipes that damaged the 18th-century building.
Maurizio Cattelan. Photo: Alberto Zanetti
Prosecutors allege that suspect Michael Jones visited the exhibition twice in the lead up to the crime, photographing locks on the work as well as a window that was smashed during the robbery, according to The Associated Press.
The toilet had marked Cattelan’s return to art making following a self-imposed five-year retirement. It was initially on view at The Guggenheim, where it replaced one of the toilets in the restroom and was made available for public use.
The work made available “an extravagant luxury product seemingly intended for the 1 percent,” according to an exhibition description. “Its participatory nature, in which viewers are invited to make use of the fixture individually and privately, allows for an experience of unprecedented intimacy with a work of art. Cattelan’s toilet offers a wink to the excesses of the art market but also evokes the American dream of opportunity for all—its utility ultimately reminding us of the inescapable physical realities of our shared humanity.”
Just a few years later, Cattelan made waves again with his viral sensation, Comedian, which most recently sold for $6.2 million at auction—and starred in a Super Bowl commercial. The infamous duct-taped banana first appeared at Art Basel in Miami Beach, with Cattelan calling it “a sincere commentary and reflection of what we value.”
While the fate of Cattelan’s gold throne remains unclear, authorities believe it was likely cut up and sold. All defendants in the case have pleaded not guilty.
Cover: Installation view, "Maurizio Cattelan: America," at The Guggenheim Museum.
Photo: Kristopher McKay
More from Galerie
