An 18-karat gold toilet recently sold at an auction in New York has sparked a global debate.
An ultra-wealthy, luxury toilet seat titled"America," created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was sold for $12 million at Sotheby's auction in New York on Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
The 18-karat gold toilet that weighs 101 kilograms (223 pounds) went on the block at Sotheby’s with a starting bid of around $10 million and was later sold at $12 million.
Known for his proactive works, the artist Cattelan has described the piece as a commentary on super wealth: “Whatever you eat, a $200 lunch or a $2 hot dog, the results are the same toilet-wise.”
While Sotheby’s, one of the world’s largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewelry, and collectibles, calls it an "incisive commentary on the collision of artistic production and commodity value.”
Cattelan made two versions of the toilet in 2016—one was displayed at New York’s Guggenheim Museum and was infamously offered to U.S. President Donald Trump when he requested a Van Gogh. The piece was later stolen at Blenheim Palace in England in 2019.
While the other statement toilet, created and auctioned as ‘America’ was displayed at Sotheby’s New York for sale.
The statement piece was bought by Ripley’s Believe It or Not!.
It is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley that features bizarre events, including strange and unusual items, and operates attractions, including museums of oddities and aquariums, around the world.
The entertainment company Believe it or not! Did not reveal the whole story in their first Instagram post and kept it a mystery by posting only an update: “We are flushed with excitement.”
Additionally, the fully functional $12m "gold toilet" bought by Ripley’s was the second highest price for a Cattelan piece at the Sotheby’s auction in New York.
Previously, the sculpture of a kneeling Hitler made by Cattelan was sold for $17.2m (£11.9m) in 2016.
