Maurizio Cattelan’s America—the fully functional 18-karat gold toilet unveiled in 2016—has added another chapter to its unusual journey. At Sotheby’s New York, the artwork was offered with an estimate tied strictly to its material value, calculated on the gold price as of October 31, 2025: roughly $10 million for 101.2 kilograms.

The auction on November 18 pushed the final price to $12.1 million, but once fees are removed, the hammer price aligns perfectly with the initial $10 million valuation. In a market where prices often drift far from objective measures, this piece was sold for exactly what its raw material is worth—no symbolic premium, no extra artistic aura. Or perhaps that is the point: yet another ironic gesture in a work conceived to blur the line between luxury, value, and absurdity.

Since its debut at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, where visitors were invited to use it as an ordinary toilet, America has sparked ongoing debate about consumerism, privilege, and the role of art in public life. This sale seems to reinforce its original provocation.