UK court finds men who stole $6 million gold toilet guilty

It turns out that a porcelain throne can also be made of gold.

At least, that was the vision behind Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s artwork titled America, created in 2016. The installation featured a fully functional toilet cast in 18-karat gold. It was initially displayed at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, and later at Blenheim Palace in the United Kingdom where it was stolen in 2019.

This week, two of the people involved in the theft were convicted in a U.K. court.

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Three things to know:

1. The original heist took place on Sept. 14, 2019, when a group of thieves used sledgehammers and crowbars to remove the toilet from the floor of Oxfordshire’s historic Blenheim Palace. It reportedly took them under five minutes to escape with the luxurious latrine.
2. On Tuesday, Michael Jones, 39, was found guilty of burglary in a British court for his role in the theft, while Fred Doe, 36, was found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. They join 40-year-old James Sheen, who is credited with coordinating the plan and has already pleaded guilty to charges of burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property.
3. The toilet, which was insured for a value of $6 million has yet to be recovered. Prosecutors say that it was dismantled and sold in parts. Jones was even questioned about having used the toilet the day before the heist. He described the experience as “splendid.”

A golden toilet was art?

Absolutely! When this piece was installed at the Guggenheim, visitors were encouraged to interact with it — fully.

As NPR’s Merrit Kennedy wrote back in 2016, its creator Cattelan has been described as a “provocateur, prankster, and tragic poet of our times.” One of his most famous works, “La Nona Ora (The Ninth Hour)” depicts Pope John Paul II lying on the floor after being struck by a meteor.

When it was on display the golden toilet was often compared to French artist Marcel Duchamp’s porcelain urinal called Fountain, a defining piece of 20th century art, which highlighted the absurdity of the art world.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that Doe will be sentenced in May. Jones and Sheen are still awaiting their sentencing dates.

Dive deeper with NPR:

• For the full story on America read about its time in the Guggenheim in 2016.
• NPR’s political reporters explain the big news coming out of Congress and the White House every day – only through our Politics Podcast.