Maurizio Cattelan’s gold toilet to be auctioned at Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s announced it will auction Maurizio Cattelan’s solid gold toilet sculpture titled “America” on November 18 in New York, with a starting bid of approximately $10 million based on the artwork’s weight of 101.2 kilograms of 18-karat goldabcnews.
The fully functional toilet will be displayed at Sotheby’s new Breuer Building headquarters from November 8 through the auction, though visitors will only be allowed to view it, not use it, unlike previous installationsabcnews.
The piece first gained fame in 2016 when installed at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, where over 100,000 visitors lined up to use it, and again in 2019 when an identical edition was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England and never recoveredabcnews.
This represents the only surviving edition of the sculpture, as the stolen version is believed to have been melted down, and marks the first time an artwork’s starting bid will be determined by its literal weight in gold, fluctuating with market prices until the hammer fallssothebys.
The auction comes as gold prices have surged, with demand reaching a record 1,313 metric tons in the third quarter of 2025, potentially positioning the toilet to exceed Cattelan’s current auction record of $17.2 million set by his “Him” sculpture in 2016observer.

Maurizio Cattelan’s Infamous Gold Toilet Returns to Market with $10 Million Starting Bid

Sotheby’s announced on October 31 that it will auction Maurizio Cattelan’s notorious 18-karat solid gold toilet, titled “America,” on November 18 with a starting bid of approximately $10 million—the first time an artwork’s opening price will be determined by its literal weight in gold. The fully functional 101.2-kilogram sculpture represents the only surviving edition of the provocative piece, making it one of the most anticipated lots of the fall auction season.abcnews

The Italian artist’s gleaming toilet will be displayed in a restroom at Sotheby’s new Breuer Building headquarters from November 8 through the auction date, though visitors will only be permitted to view—not use—the fixture this time. “We don’t want people sitting on the art,” David Galperin, Sotheby’s head of contemporary art, told reporters.youtube

A Provocative Legacy Built on Public Use and Theft

“America” first gained international attention when installed at New York’s Guggenheim Museum in 2016, where more than 100,000 visitors queued to experience what the museum called “unprecedented intimacy with a work of art”. The piece was fully plumbed and functional, allowing visitors to book three-minute appointments to use it.observer

The work’s notoriety escalated dramatically in 2019 when another edition was stolen from Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill’s ancestral home in England, in a brazen overnight heist that caused flooding and structural damage to the UNESCO World Heritage site. Two men were convicted earlier this year in connection with the theft, but the golden toilet was never recovered and is believed to have been melted down for its estimated £4.8 million worth of gold.abcnews

Market Timing Amid Soaring Gold Prices

The auction comes as gold prices have surged more than 50 percent this year, with demand reaching a record 1,313 metric tons in the third quarter of 2025. Sotheby’s decision to peg the starting bid to gold’s market value creates an unprecedented pricing mechanism that could see the opening bid fluctuate until the hammer falls.observer

If “America” exceeds expectations, it could surpass Cattelan’s current auction record of $17.2 million, set by his Hitler sculpture “Him” in 2016. The timing follows Cattelan’s recent market triumph with “Comedian”—his banana duct-taped to a wall—which sold for $6.2 million at Sotheby’s last year, four times its high estimate.artnet