The artist behind the viral $6.2 million duct-taped banana also made a gold toilet - and it just sold for $12.1 million

"Millions of dollars may not sound like too much to pay for a golden throne - but what about a flushable one? An 18-karat gold toilet sold for$12.1 million with fees at a Sotheby's auction on Tuesday. The sculpture, made by the Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan, is titled "America" and is flushable. The toilet, which debuted in 2016, consists of 101.2 kg, or about 223 pounds, of 18-karat gold and comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist, according to Sotheby's."

"It's unclear who bought the toilet. Prior to the auction, the estimated starting bid was around $10,000,000. Sotheby's said the starting bid for the piece would be determined by the artwork's weight in gold, and thus would depend on the fluctuating gold market. Sotheby's said the seller of the artwork, who was not publicly identified, acquired it in 2017 from the Marian Goodman Gallery in New York."

"The toilet is the second edition of "America." Another edition of the artwork was famously placed at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2016 and could be used by visitors, who lined up by the tens of thousands to engage with the artwork,as in, use the toilet. It was later moved to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England, from which it was stolen in 2019. Two people were convicted in the heist earlier this year, but the toilet was not recovered. Sotheby's said the piece on sale was the only existing edition of "America.""

An 18-karat gold flushable toilet sculpture titled "America" by Maurizio Cattelan sold at Sotheby's for $12.1 million including fees. The work weighs 101.2 kg (about 223 pounds) of 18-karat gold and includes a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. The buyer was not publicly identified. Sotheby's estimated a starting bid near $10,000,000 and tied the starting bid to the artwork's gold weight and the fluctuating gold market. The seller acquired the piece in 2017 from the Marian Goodman Gallery. A previous edition was displayed at the Guggenheim and later stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019.

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