Cattelan's gold toilet stolen from Blenheim Palace after silent party
Maurizio Cattelan's 18-carat solid gold toilet, titled 'America', was stolen from Blenheim Art Foundation just hours after an exclusive opening party for his exhibition. The theft occurred following a silent party titled 'Silence! The Opening', organized in collaboration with Dom Pérignon, where guests communicated only through gestures and written notes. Attendees included the Marquess of Blandford George and Camilla Spencer Churchill, Germano Celant, Charley Vezza and Marica Pellegrinelli, Umberta Gnutti Beretta, Prince Nikolaos of Greece, Countess of Mornington Jemma Wellesley, Antonella Rodriguez Boccanelli and Andrea Formilli Fendi, Pierpaolo and Vrinda Ferrari, Paola Manfrin, Antonio Carbonaro, Job Smeets and Rebecca Sharkey, Warly Tomei, and Paride Vitale. Many were photographed sitting on the toilet before it was stolen. Cattelan, in an interview with The Guardian, denied the theft was a prank, saying, 'I wish it were a joke... Who can steal a toilet? I want to be positive and hope it's some kind of Robin Hood action.'
Key facts
- Maurizio Cattelan's 18-carat solid gold toilet 'America' was stolen from Blenheim Art Foundation.
- The theft occurred hours after a silent opening party titled 'Silence! The Opening'.
- The party was organized in collaboration with Dom Pérignon.
- Guests communicated only through gestures and written notes during the party.
- Performers included a graphologist, a portraitist, an astrologer, and a silhouettist.
- Many guests were photographed sitting on the toilet before the theft.
- Cattelan denied the theft was a prank in an interview with The Guardian.
- The toilet was installed at Blenheim Palace, former residence of Winston Churchill.
Entities
Artists
- Maurizio Cattelan
Institutions
- Blenheim Art Foundation
- Dom Pérignon
- The Guardian
- Blenheim Palace
Locations
- Blenheim Palace
- United Kingdom
- Woodstock
- England