Cattelan's Gilded Provocation Stalls at Auction: Golden Toilet Sells for a Tepid $12.1 Million

2 hours ago7 min read

Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘America,’ a fully functional 18-karat gold toilet, concluded its latest chapter not with a bang, but with a whimper at a Sotheby’s auction. The sculpture, which famously invited Guggenheim visitors to use it, sold for a final hammer price of $12.1 million—a figure that fell short of the explosive bidding war many anticipated. The sale was marked by a moment of high drama that fizzled, as the auctioneer endured a protracted, silent minute, pleading in vain for a single additional bid to elevate the final sum.This lukewarm reception contrasts sharply with the work’s scandalous debut, where it served as a crude yet powerful symbol of wealth disparity. The piece's turbulent history, including its theft and subsequent destruction from Blenheim Palace, failed to sufficiently galvanize the market.The outcome forces a critical examination of conceptual art that hinges on a singular, brazen act. In an art world now captivated by NFTs and the digital frontier, does Cattelan’s physical commentary on the one percent and intrinsic value still hold weight? Perhaps the toilet’s most profound statement was delivered not through its creation, but through its sale: that even the most audacious symbols of excess are ultimately subject to the very market forces they aim to critique. For an artist of Cattelan’s renown, the final price, while substantial, reads as a subdued review, hinting that the art world's appetite for his brand of irony may be waning.

#Maurizio Cattelan

#America

#golden toilet

#art auction

#Sotheby's

#contemporary art

#featured

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