Following the $6.2M banana, the Maurizio Cattelan America golden toilet is set to break records. A high-stakes critique of art and crypto wealth.

BY KAZEEM ADELEKE, ARTCENTRON

NEW YORK, NY-Maurizio Cattelan, the Italian artist known for his mischievous and provocative art, is back in the art world headlines. Following his 2019 sensation—Comedian, the infamous banana taped to a wall that fetched $6.2 million—Cattelan is once again challenging systems of value with his boldest piece yet: America, a fully functional toilet crafted from 18-karat solid gold.

This time, however, the experience is radically different. Sotheby’s, which will host the sale this November at its recently renovated Breuer Building in New York, is setting the stage for a new kind of viewing. While the Maurizio Cattelan America golden toilet will be on display for one week starting November 8, it will BE off limit for anyone to use it. Viewers can only admire its gleaming opulence from afar—a stark contrast to its original interactive debut.

The piece, weighing a hefty 100 kilograms, will be on sale in a unique way. The auction house will base the sale on the toilet’s weight in gold. The starting bid will open at around $10 million. This approach emphasizes both its material value and its artistic prestige. “Cattelan’s sharp critique of the art world’s obsession with wealth and value has never been more relevant,” said a Sotheby’s spokesperson, highlighting the work’s timely commentary on the commercialization of art.

The Audacity and Irony of the Maurizio Cattelan America Golden Toilet

Maurizio Cattelan first created the golden toilet in 2016, producing only three versions. The current owner purchased the piece in 2017. Now, it’s finally making its way to the auction block. Sotheby’s confirmed that no irrevocable bid exists before the sale. This detail adds an extra layer of suspense for potential buyers eager to secure the America golden toilet.

America gained fame after its 2016 debut at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Museum staff invited visitors to use the golden toilet during the exhibition. In fact, they actively encouraged participation, turning the experience into a true interactive artwork.  With over 100,000 museum-goers lining up to experience this controversial and interactive work, Cattelan’s piece created a unique, if not entirely comfortable, connection between viewer and artwork.

But the toilet’s journey didn’t end there. In 2019, the piece’s notoriety hit a new peak when it was on display at Blenheim Palace in the UK. In a crime straight out of a heist movie, thieves broke in and stole the $6 million golden commode. Authorities searched extensively for the missing toilet but never recovered it. They now believe thieves dismantled it and sold the pieces as scrap gold.  The irony was palpable: thieves valued the physical gold, while the art world valued the concept and the scandal surrounding the Maurizio Cattelan America golden toilet.

David Galperin, Sotheby’s head of contemporary art, reflected on the piece’s enduring impact: “This work marked Cattelan’s return to art after a five-year hiatus. It’s quintessentially Cattelan—blurring the lines between art, satire, and social commentary.”

The Duchamp Connection

It’s hard not to see the comparison to Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, the 1917 urinal that changed the course of art history by elevating a mass-produced object to the status of high art. Galperin noted that America is “Cattelan’s own spin on Duchamp’s audacious act,” effectively turning the “readymade” concept on its head. Instead of taking an everyday object and repurposing it as art, Cattelan transforms it into a work of absurd luxury and excess, infusing it with both satire and sharp social commentary on modern consumer culture.

The upcoming sale of Maurizio Cattelan’s America golden toilet will likely draw a diverse group of bidders. Seasoned collectors will compete for the piece. At the same time, newcomers from the rapidly expanding crypto community are expected to join the bidding. Their participation will add even more excitement to the sale.  Like the banana in 2019, Sotheby’s will accept cryptocurrency for the sale. With this accommodation, it signals just how far the digital currency world has infiltrated the traditional art market.

As the countdown to the auction on November 18 continues, one thing is clear: Cattelan’s golden toilet is more than just a satirical commentary on wealth—it’s a statement on the intersection of art, value, and the absurdity of our cultural obsessions. Whoever walks away with it will undoubtedly find themselves owning a symbol of modern art’s most provocative moment.

In today’s high-stakes, hyper-commercialized art world, Maurizio Cattelan’s America golden toilet makes a bold statement. It proves that the most provocative ideas often emerge from the least expected places—and command the most staggering prices.