Recently, the artist Maurizio Cattelan, widely known for his work “Comedian” (the banana taped to the wall), has once again captured the spotlight in the international art scene. His latest masterpiece, “America”—a fully functional toilet made of 18K gold—was stolen from Blenheim Palace in the UK, with the entire heist taking just five minutes.
According to prosecutor Julian Christopher KC, there were a total of five suspects involved. They drove two stolen cars and broke into Blenheim Palace at 5 AM, immediately removing the gold toilet titled ‘America’ and swiftly escaping, indicating that this bold move was meticulously planned. Reportedly, the ringleader, Michael Jones, had visited the exhibition site twice – once before the showcase and another time after the artwork was installed.
Although the police have captured the suspects, the “America” artwork is still missing. According to The Art Newspaper, this piece of art is likely to have been broken down into smaller parts for sale, as two of the suspects had previously been in contact with jewelers in London.
It’s worth noting that “America” isn’t the first time it has been stolen. Back in 2019, another version of “America” was stolen from Blenheim Palace, which also garnered widespread attention in the art world. Whether this incident is linked to past thefts remains to be thoroughly investigated.
