Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s fully functioning 18-karat gold toilet, titled America, is set to be auctioned by Sotheby’s on November 18, with bidding expected to start around $10 million—based on the current price of gold. Weighing 220 pounds, the satirical sculpture critiques wealth and social equality by placing luxury in an unexpected setting. Cattelan famously said, “In the end, we are all the same,” referencing the toilet’s universal function.
Originally built in 2016 and sold to a private collector, another version of America was installed at the Guggenheim Museum, where over 100,000 visitors used it. It was later stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019 in a five-minute heist; the toilet remains missing and is believed to have been melted down. At the time of the theft, rising gold prices had pushed its value to $4 million.
Sotheby’s calls the piece one of Cattelan’s most iconic works, blending spectacle with deeper meaning.
Read more: This Fully Functioning Toilet Made From Solid Gold Could Sell for More Than $10 Million at Auction
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