New owners of Maurizio Cattelan “USA” (2016) — the 18-karat gold, fully functional toilet that sold for $12.1 million Tuesday night — was the product of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
The museum announced itself as the buyer on Instagram. Previously, Sotheby’s only identified buyers as “famous American brands.” The work was featured in Sotheby’s “Now & Contemporary” sale, where it sold for $10 million after a single bid, just above its original gold value.
Ripley’s said in its post that it was “excited,” saying “USA” It is the most valuable object added to its collection, noting that it acquires the only fully crafted version of the sculpture known to exist. The company cited the piece’s incredible history – its installation at the Guggenheim Museum in 2016 – and the disappearance of a second golden toilet during a 2019 smash-and-grab incident at Blenheim Palace. Ripley added that it plans to put the restrooms on public display and is “exploring the possibility” of whether to ultimately allow visitors to sit on the fully functional sculpture.
The toilet was commissioned by billionaire collector and Mets owner Steve Cohen and purchased from Marian Goodman Gallery in 2017. Sotheby’s confirmed ahead of the auction that there were no irrevocable bids on the work and that it would accept cryptocurrency as payment. The sculpture is installed for viewing in a private bathroom at Sotheby’s New Brower Building headquarters, where use is strictly prohibited—a stark contrast to the Guggenheim installation, which more than 100,000 visitors queued to try.
“USA” Despite widespread pre-sale speculation, it sold for close to its metal value. It is one of only two surviving versions of this edition, with the Blenheim version still missing. Sotheby’s vice-chairman Cassandra Hatton won the winning bid – a number that had also fetched two Matisse sculptures earlier in the evening at the Leonard Lauder sale.
