In the UK found the thieves of the stolen gold toilet worth $ 6 million

An art object weighing about 100 kilograms was cut into pieces

The “golden joke” of the famous provocateur, the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, received an intriguing continuation. The one who taped a banana to the wall at Art Basel Miami, which was immediately sold for $120,000 and immediately eaten. Cattelan’s equally infamous exhibit, a solid gold toilet called “America” ​​that could be used for its intended purpose, was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019. Moreover, during the abduction of the art object, the thieves did not block the pipes, so the sewer leaked, and all its odorous contents spilled over the museum, flooding the neighboring rooms, including the one where Winston Churchill was born. Four years after the resonant theft, the police went on the trail of the kidnappers.

The golden toilet named “America” ​​made a lot of noise even before it was stolen. He first exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum. Each visitor to the exhibition could empty his intestines straight to “America”. True, under the control of the museum guard. Imagine how many obscene comments and unusual selfies came out of that exhibition hall… Everyone perceived the installation as a sharp joke of the artist, addressed to the whole state. However, the author himself said this about his work: “I hope that people will not perceive the golden toilet as sarcasm. It contains an absurd message regarding the inequality of people, it is a comment on unlimited wealth in the art world. And in some way a gift to museum visitors is the opportunity to spend time alone with such a luxurious and lovely thing.

After the furore at the Guggenheim Museum, the luxurious installation was moved to Blenheim Palace. However, the opening of the exhibition at the family estate of the Dukes of Marlborough, where one of the most famous representatives of the family, Winston Churchill, was born, was disrupted. The night before, the golden toilet was unexpectedly stolen. The scandal with the smell came out notable. After all, the thieves literally pulled out the exhibit from the wooden lining of the restroom, the sewerage flowed, and the palace was then washed for a long time after the incident.

When Maurizio Cattelan found out about the incident, at first he thought it was a prank. The artist, however, did not lose his head and, in the wake of the scandal, starred in an advertisement for an insurance company: in the photo he runs naked, smiling and holding a golden toilet bowl under his arm. In a word, the incident brought popularity and profit to Cattelan. By the way, an unknown well-wisher paid for the gold used to create the installation, so the artist did not lose anything from the theft.

And finally, after four years, the police are ready to take the case to court and reveal some of the details of that absurd story. After the theft, everyone wondered how the thieves managed to endure such a burden unnoticed? It turned out that there were seven thieves. Among them, one woman and six men – aged 36 to 68 years. They infiltrated Blenheim Palace at about five in the morning (the question remains – how?). Right on the spot, they sawed a golden toilet bowl weighing 100 kg and took it away piece by piece in two cars. Then, obviously, pieces of “America” ​​were melted down and sold in the form of gold bars. Of course, they hardly got the same amount that the exhibit was estimated at – and this is about 6 million dollars. But still they made money. It is strange that, despite the fact that the police have collected all the necessary evidence, the suspects are still at large. In a word, the age of this Cattelan installation was as short as that of a banana, and its story turned out to be absurd from start to finish. At least make a movie.