A sculpture of a toilet made of solid gold, named “America,” is all set to go under the hammer later this month. Considered to be the world’s most valuable toilet, the one-of-a-kind lavatory will have an asking price of about $10 million, which equates to the value of gold used to carve the toilet, when it enters the auction.
Solid gold toilet sculpture hits auction for $10 million
On October 31, Sotheby’s, the British-founded corporation that regularly conducts auctions of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and other collectibles, confirmed that the gold toilet titled “America,” modeled by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, will be put for sale on November 18, 2025, as per ABC News.
Made with an estimated 101.2 kilograms (223 pounds) of gold, the toilet will have an opening bid of around $10 million come auction day.
Sotheby’s describes the rare piece of art as an “incisive commentary on the collision of artistic production and commodity value.”
“America” is one of two gold toilets that Cattelan sculpted back in 2016. While an unidentified collector has owned the lavatory that will soon go under the hammer, the other went missing from England’s Blenheim Palace in 2019 following a heist.
Shortly after its creation in 2016, the second gold toilet went on show in a bathroom at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Three years later, it went on display at Blenheim Palace, which is the birthplace of Winston Churchill. However, the sculpture went missing just days later after its transfer to the English country manor, with thieves breaking into the palace and completing the heist without leaving any trace. Although authorities have convicted two men of the crime since then, they have failed to recover the missing gold toilet.
According to Cattelan, “America” signifies the futility that comes with excessive wealth. The Italian designer explains the symbolism of his creation as, “Whatever you eat, a $200 lunch or a $2 hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise.”
