Processes
Four men in court for stealing a gold toilet
This archival video still image shows an 18-karat gold “America” toilet by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan on display at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2016/2017. photo
© —/AP/dpa
It is an extraordinary piece of stolen property. The precious toilet comes from an Italian artist. But whether it still exists at all is uncertain.
Four are on trial in England for the theft of a golden toilet worth around 5.5 million euros Men in court. The suspects are accused of stealing the artwork in September 2019 from Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The defendants will remain free without conditions until their next court date on January 4, 2024, the Oxford court decided on Tuesday.
The precious toilet is a work by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and was shown as part of an exhibition. The “America” installation was fully functional and was even allowed to be used by visitors – but only for a maximum of three minutes each to avoid queues. It is assumed that the gold toilet has long since been broken up or even melted down – at least it has since disappeared.