Ripley’s Believe It or Not! buys Cattelan’s gold toilet for $12.1M

Ripley’s Believe It or Not Buys Cattelan’s Infamous Gold Toilet for $12.1 Million

Ripley’s Believe It or Not revealed itself Wednesday as the buyer of Maurizio Cattelan’s notorious solid gold toilet sculpture, purchased for $12.1 million at Sotheby’s New York on Tuesday evening. The entertainment franchise known for housing oddities announced it acquired America, the fully functional 18-karat gold toilet weighing 223 pounds, calling it “the most valuable and certainly the shiniest exhibit ever to join the Ripley’s collection”.theartnewspaper

The artwork sold after a single bid matching its starting price of $10 million—the value of its raw gold—with auction fees bringing the total to $12.1 million. Sotheby’s had initially identified the buyer only as “a famous American brand”, but Ripley’s disclosed its identity the following day, announcing it was “flush with excitement”.digitaljournal

Only Surviving Edition After Palace Heist

This is the sole remaining fully fabricated version of America after another edition was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England in 2019. Two men were convicted in the heist earlier this year, but investigators believe the stolen toilet was melted down. The edition purchased by Ripley’s was consigned by billionaire collector and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, who acquired it from Marian Goodman Gallery in 2017.theartnewspaper

The toilet first gained notoriety in 2016 when it was installed in a public restroom at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, where more than 100,000 visitors lined up to use it. The museum famously offered to lend the piece to President Trump when the White House requested a Van Gogh painting, a counter-offer that went unanswered.digitaljournal

Future Display Plans Under Consideration

“Finding the unbelievable is our business, but even we never imagined we would one day need a plumber on standby for an art installation,” said John Corcoran, Director of Exhibits for Ripley’s Believe It or Not. The company plans to display the sculpture at one of its Odditorium locations, though it has not specified which venue.digitaljournal

Ripley’s is exploring whether visitors will be allowed to use the functional toilet as they did at the Guggenheim. “The team is exploring possibilities,” the company said. “But such an opportunity requires serious planning and someone brave enough to ensure everything keeps flowing in the right direction”.barchart