Solid gold toilet fetches R200m at auction
Dori van Loggerenberg
20 November 2025 | 9:35Titled 'America', the fully functional artwork by Maurizio Cattelan is made from 18-carat gold.
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Solid gold toilet titled 'America' - created by artist Maurizio Cattelan
It's something you may expect to see in Donald Trump's bathroom, but artist Maurizio Cattelan's gold toilet titled 'America' now belongs to Ripley's Believe It or Not! – after its first casting was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019.
Weighing in at over 100 kilograms, Primedia's Digital Content Editor Barbara Friedman says, "It kind of sold for its weight in gold. It's obviously making headlines because it is an insane piece."
Ripley's Believe It or Not! has revealed that the toilet will become part of the collection in their museum of oddities, as opposed to being used for its 'proper' purpose.
To listen to Friedman in conversation with CapeTalk's Clarence Ford, click below:
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