A fully functional 18-karat gold toilet, titled 'America', created by satirical artist Maurizio Cattelan has fetched $12.1 million including fees at an auction in New York.
The auction was held a year after Cattelan's "Comedian" - a banana fastened to a wall with duct tape - sold for $6.2 million, also at Sotheby's.
Sotheby’s said the toilet had been sold to "a famous American brand".
The starting bid was to be linked to the fluctuating price of gold, based on the piece's gold weight of approximately 101.2 kilograms, which was valued at around $10 million.
"America" gained notoriety as a fully functional artwork and satire on wealth and value. It was exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City in 2016-2017 and made headlines again when it was stolen from the UK’s Blenheim Palace in 2019 and never recovered.
This sale at Sotheby's in New York features the only surviving version.
