Maurizio Cattelan, America (circa 2016) (foto Sotheby s)

Believe It or Not, This is the Buyer of Maurizio Cattelan s Gold Toilet

The work s starting price was determined by its weight in gold, about $ 10 million.

• Maurizio Cattelan s gold toilet, America, hit the Sotheby s auction block with its starting price set by its weight in gold.
• The 18 karat piece was acquired by entertainment franchise Ripley s Believe It or Not! for $ 12.1 million.
• America fell far short of Cattelan s auction record of $ 17.2 million, which was set by his 2001 work Him.

How much would someone pay to own A fully functioning, 220 pound, 18 karat gold toilet? At Sotheby s in New York, the answer was revealed, $ 12.1 million. That was the winning bid, with premium, that A bidder paid for Maurizio Cattelan s America (2016) sculpture. Just as stunning was who acquired the gleaming commode, believe it or not, it s Ripley s Believe It or Not!, the entertainment franchise with attractions across nine countries.

According to an announcement from Ripley s, on World Toilet Day, no less, America is now the most valuable object in its collection, which already numbers in the tens of thousands. Among its art holdings are such highlights as A massive portrait of Albert Einstein made with toast, A castle model built with 450.000 match sticks, and sculptures small enough to fit into the eye of A needle. The toilet was the company s only purchase at the Sotheby s auction.

“Finding the Unbelievable is Our Business, but Even We Never Imagined We Would One Day Need A Plumber on Standby for an Art Installation,” John Corcoran, Ripley s Director of Exhibits, said in A statement. “Our Number One Idea is To Keep Things Free Flowing. Number Wwo is Making Sure Nothing Gets Clogged Up and Flushes Away Future Possibilities. We Will Unroll Some Paper and Start Planning.”

The toilet, which takes the mold of A standard Kohler, was installed in A bathroom at Sotheby s new home in the Breuer Building, originally the Whitney Museum of American Art, in advance of the sale. Visitors were allowed to look at, but not sit on, the piece, and it drew long lines. When the artwork debuted in 2016 at the Guggenheim Museum about A mile north, people were allowed to relieve themselves with it, and some waited hours for the chance. More than 100.000 visited over its year long residency.