The Golden Throne Returns (Sort Of): Cattelan's Audacious 'America' Goes Under the Hammer

Oh, Maurizio Cattelan, you really know how to get people talking, don't you? His 18-karat solid gold toilet, famously — or perhaps infamously — titled "America," is back in the news, yet again proving that art can, and should, stir things up. It’s a piece that frankly dares you to ignore it, a golden throne designed not just to be seen, but, you know, used.

And now, for once, a genuine artist's proof of this utterly audacious creation is heading to Sotheby's. Imagine that: a functional, gleaming symbol of excess, luxury, and maybe, just maybe, a pointed critique of capitalism, going under the hammer. Word on the street, or rather, from the auction house, is it could fetch anywhere from a cool £10 million to a staggering £15 million. Honestly, it makes you pause, doesn't it? To think about what we value, what we deem art, and what we're willing to spend on it.

The original, for those who might recall, first made its grand debut at the Guggenheim Museum in New York back in 2016. Visitors were actually encouraged to use it, to sit on it, to experience art in perhaps the most visceral way possible. It was a golden, opulent, utterly practical toilet — a stark, shimmering contrast to the museum's white porcelain fixtures. And yes, it was incredibly popular, a true democratic experience, or so it seemed.

But then came the drama, the kind of headline-grabbing moment only Cattelan could inspire. In 2019, while on loan to Blenheim Palace in England for an exhibition appropriately titled "Victory Is Not an Option," "America" vanished. Poof. Gone. Stolen, right from the palace itself, leading to flooding and a truly bizarre international art heist investigation. And, in truth, it remains missing to this day. A phantom golden commode, out there somewhere.

So, what exactly is Sotheby's offering? It's crucial to clarify, this isn't the stolen one, not the original piece that caused such a kerfuffle. No, what's coming up for auction is an artist's proof — specifically, the fourth proof created by Cattelan. See, he reportedly made four of these golden marvels: one is in a private collection, one was, well, liberated from Blenheim, and the whereabouts of two others were, until now, a bit of a mystery. This particular proof, it seems, has been held in the artist's own private collection, adding a certain mystique, wouldn't you say?

It's all quite a commentary, isn't it? This artwork, a literal golden toilet, has always been about more than just its material value. It's a cheeky, pointed jab at the American Dream, at wealth disparity, and at the sheer absurdity of luxury in a world grappling with so much. Cattelan himself, ever the provocateur, once said of "America," "Whatever you eat, a lunch or a two-hundred-dollar lunch, the results are the same, in the toilet." A profound thought, perhaps, from the unlikeliest of places. And now, a chance for someone to own a piece of that very, very shiny — and slightly scandalous — legacy.