Golden toilet sculpture returns to auction with $10 million bid.

2 days ago7 min read

The art world is buzzing with the kind of glamorous, headline-grabbing spectacle it adores, as Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous 18-karat gold toilet, provocatively titled 'America,' is set for a dazzling return to the spotlight at Sotheby’s New York this November. This isn't just a sale; it's a full-blown event, with a starting bid that mirrors the sheer audacity of the piece itself—a cool $10 million, a figure Sotheby's cheekily notes is roughly equivalent to the value of its weight in gold.But to view this purely as a transaction would be to miss the entire, glittering point. This is a piece with a past, a sculpture that has lived more lives than a Hollywood A-lister.Remember the uproar? Installed in 2016 at the Guggenheim Museum, it wasn't just a static exhibit; it was a fully functional, utterly surreal experience, available for use by any visitor bold enough to answer nature's call on a throne of solid gold. It was Cattelan’s brilliant, satirical jab at excess, inequality, and the sometimes-absurd nature of the art market itself—a one-percenter's fantasy made startlingly, uncomfortably real for the masses.Then came the drama fit for a heist film: its 2019 installation at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, ended not with a sale, but with a theft. The piece was violently ripped from its plumbing, causing a flood and sending the art world into a frenzy of speculation and intrigue worthy of an 'Ocean's Eleven' sequel.It was eventually recovered, but the mystery of who-dunnit and why remains, adding a layer of irresistible, true-crime allure to its already substantial provenance. Now, its comeback at one of the world's most prestigious auction houses feels like the third act of a blockbuster.Who will bid? Will it be a tech billionaire looking for the ultimate conversation starter for their mega-yacht? A sovereign wealth fund diversifying its assets in the most literal, golden way? Or perhaps a private museum curator seeking to own a piece of contemporary art history that is as much about the discourse as it is about the material? The bidding war promises to be as theatrical as the piece itself, a performance of wealth and power played out on the global stage. This sale transcends the object; it's a referendum on value, on art as a commodity, and on the enduring power of a truly great, controversial idea.In a world saturated with digital assets and fleeting trends, the solid, heavy, and profoundly physical presence of a golden toilet commands a unique kind of attention. It’s more than a sculpture; it’s a cultural artifact, a political statement, and now, the ultimate luxury collectible, all rolled into one breathtaking, and utterly absurd, masterpiece. The gavel falling this November won't just signal a sale; it will write the next captivating chapter in the ongoing saga of Cattelan’s 'America'.

#featured

#Maurizio Cattelan

#America

#golden toilet

#Sotheby's

#art auction

#contemporary art

#sculpture

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