Overview
- The fully functional 18-karat work, weighing about 101.2 kg, hammered at $10 million after a single bid, with fees bringing the total to $12.1 million.
- Sotheby’s set the opening bid to the toilet’s gold value, offered no irrevocable guarantee, and said cryptocurrency would be accepted.
- The seller was billionaire collector Steve Cohen, who acquired the piece from Marian Goodman Gallery in 2017.
- A counterpart installed at Blenheim Palace was stolen in 2019; two men were convicted, the work was never recovered, and investigators believe it was likely melted.
- Ripley’s says it will put the piece on view as the most valuable object in its collection and is exploring whether visitors might one day be allowed to sit on the functional sculpture.