The new owner of Maurizio Cattelan’s “America” (2016)—the 18-karat gold, fully functioning toilet that sold for $12.1 million on Tuesday night—is Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
The museum announced itself as the buyer on Instagram. Previously, Sotheby’s only identified the buyer as a “Famous American Brand.” The work came to the block in Sotheby’s “Now & Contemporary” auction, where it hammered at $10 million after a single bid, finishing only slightly above the value of its raw gold.
In its post, Ripley’s said it was “flush with excitement,” calling “America” the most valuable object to join its collection and noting that it had acquired the only fully fabricated edition of the sculpture known to exist. The company referenced the work’s improbable history—its star turn at the Guggenheim in 2016, and the disappearance of a second golden toilet in a 2019 smash-and-grab at Blenheim Palace. Ripley’s added that it plans to put the toilet on public display and is “exploring possibilities” for whether visitors will eventually be allowed to sit on the fully functional sculpture.
The toilet was consigned by billionaire collector and Mets owner Steve Cohen, who purchased it from Marian Goodman Gallery in 2017. Sotheby’s confirmed before the sale that the work carried no irrevocable bid and that cryptocurrency would be accepted as payment. Installed for viewing in a private bathroom at Sotheby’s new Breuer Building headquarters, the sculpture was strictly off-limits for use—a sharp contrast to its Guggenheim installation, where more than 100,000 visitors queued to try it.
“America” sold near its metal value despite wide pre-sale speculation. It is one of only two extant versions of the edition, with the Blenheim one still missing. Sotheby’s vice chairman Cassandra Hatton handled the winning bid—a paddle number that also secured two Matisse sculptures earlier in the evening during the Leonard Lauder sale.
