LONDON — A unique solid gold toilet that was part of an art exhibit was stolen early Saturday from the magnificent home in England where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born.
The toilet, valued at roughly $1.25 million, was the work of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. It had been installed only two days earlier at Blenheim Palace, west of London, after previously being shown to appreciative audiences at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Police said the toilet was taken early Saturday by thieves who used at least two vehicles. Because it had been connected to the palace’s plumbing system, police said the toilet’s removal caused “significant damage and flooding” to the building, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture.
A 66-year-old man was arrested in the case, but he has not been identified or charged.
Inspector Richard Nicholls from Thames Valley Police said police believe the thieves left the spacious property about 4:50 a.m. and that the toilet was the only item taken. Closed circuit TV footage is being studied in the investigation.
Prior to the theft, visitors to the Cattelan exhibition could book a three-minute appointment to use the toilet. This had proved popular when the toilet was on display at the Guggenheim.
The artist intended the golden toilet to be a pointed satire about excessive wealth. Cattelan has previously said: “Whatever you eat, a $200 lunch or a $2 hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise.”
Last year, the chief curator at the Guggenheim offered to lend the golden toilet to U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump when they asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting for their private White House quarters. Curator Nancy Spector had been critical of Trump in social media.
Saturday’s theft also comes after Edward Spencer-Churchill told The Times newspaper that the golden toilet would not be very easy to steal since it was connected to the palace’s plumbing.
“So no, I don’t plan to be guarding it,” he said.
