A fully-functional $1.8 million gold toilet named America has been stolen from the birthplace of Winston Churchill in what may be the most daring bathroom-based heist in modern history.
The fancy crapper, which was the work of conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, which opened this week at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of former prime minister Winston Churchill.
The toilet, which is intended as a satire on wealth and conspicuous consumption, was previously displayed in the Guggenheim, where up to 100,000 people are though to have, um, used it.
“Whatever you eat, a $200 lunch or a $2 hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise,” the artist said of his work.
Edward Spencer-Churchill, who stages contemporary art exhibitions at the palace, seemed pretty cocky about the gold toilet prior to its theft.
He told The Times that he did not plan on guarding it, as it would be connected to the palace’s plumbing, and would therefore not be easy to steal.
The artist is remaining surprisingly upbeat about the theft, saying:
“‘America’ was the one percent for the 99 percent, and I hope it still is. I want to be positive and think the robbery is a kind of Robin Hood-inspired action.”
So yeah, if you happen to be confronted by a gold toilet the next time you drop your dacks, maybe give Blenheim Palace a ring, as they’d probably appreciate it.
