America (Cattelan)
| America | |
|---|---|
America at the Guggenheim Museum in 2017 | |
| Artist | Maurizio Cattelan |
| Year | 2016 |
| Medium | Gold sculpture |
| Condition | Lost |
America was a sculpture created in 2016 by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. An example of satirical participatory art, it was a fully functioning toilet made of 18-karat solid gold.
It was stolen in 2019 from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England, where it was exhibited on loan from the permanent collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, United States. Authorities believe the thieves broke it up or melted it down to sell the gold. In 2025, three local men were convicted of its theft.
The existence of a second golden toilet was later revealed, which was auctioned at Sotheby's in New York City on 18 November 2025, fetching US$12.1m. The starting bid was determined by its exact weight in gold, at around US$10m. The only bidder, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, won the 101kg toilet.