A fully functional 18-karat gold toilet created by controversial Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan has sold for an astonishing $12.1 million at a Sotheby’s auction held on Tuesday, November 18.
The 223-pound artwork, titled “America,” had an opening bid of $10 million before climbing to its final sale price. The toilet had earlier been installed at Sotheby’s New York headquarters, where the public could view—and even use—it before the auction.
Cattelan, who previously made headlines for taping a banana to a museum wall, said the gold toilet was designed as a satire of extreme wealth in the United States.
According to him,
“Whatever you eat, a $200 lunch or a $2 hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise.”
The piece continues Cattelan’s long tradition of provocative, conversation-starting art that challenges how society views money, status, and absurdity.
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