"If It Were Here Now, It Would Be 8.8 Billion Won"... Where Is the 98kg Golden Toilet That Disappeared 6 Years Ago?

The Whereabouts of the Golden Toilet Remain Unknown
Golden Toilet, a Work by Maurizio Cattelan
Believed to Have Been Cut Into Pieces and Sold

A gang that stole a golden toilet weighing 98 kg in just five minutes has been caught, and after six years, the trial against the theft group has begun. On the 24th (local time), foreign media such as BBC and CNN reported that a trial was held at the Oxford Crown Court in the UK for three men arrested on charges of stealing the golden toilet.

The golden toilet named "America" is a work by Italian installation artist Maurizio Cattelan. He gained attention for his installation artwork "Comedian," which featured a banana taped to a wall. This piece was created by Cattelan to critique wealth inequality, and at the time, it was described as "art for the 1% for the 99%." Photo by AFP and Yonhap News.

They are accused of stealing an 18K golden toilet installed at an exhibition held at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire in the early morning of September 14, 2019. Among the men currently on trial, the ringleader is known to have been involved in stealing the toilet from Blenheim Palace, while the other two are reported to have helped sell the artwork.

In court that day, the prosecutor explained, "At the time of the crime, five men stole two cars and drove them onto the palace grounds," adding, "They broke a window, entered the building, detached the toilet from the wall, and left within five minutes." A video showing them stealing the golden toilet was also shown in court. All of them currently deny the charges. The prosecutor added, "The toilet has not yet been recovered, and it is presumed that it was cut into pieces and sold."

The stolen golden toilet is a work called 'America,' created by Italian installation artist Maurizio Cattelan. Cattelan previously gained attention for his installation artwork 'Comedian,' which featured a banana taped to a wall. The piece was made by Cattelan to criticize wealth inequality, and the artwork included a description stating, "Art for the 1% for the 99%." At the time of the theft, the golden toilet weighed 98 kg, and its estimated value was ?2.8 million (approximately 5.1 billion KRW). BBC reported that due to a surge in gold prices, its current value is estimated at ?4.8 million (approximately 8.8 billion KRW).