Four Men Charged in the Theft of Maurizio Cattelan’s Golden Toilet Bowl

Following British law enforcement’s announcement several months ago of a major breakthrough in the 2019 theft of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan‘s golden toilet sculpture, the Crown Prosecution Service said Monday that it has criminally charged four men, the New York Times has reported.

In 2019, the 200-pound sculpture, titled America and estimated to be worth around $6 million, was ripped from a wood-paneled bathroom at Blenheim Palace, the house that former UK prime minister Winston Churchill was born in. The allegedly seven-person heist left extensive water damage. At the time one man was arrested, but no one was charged with a crime.

On Monday, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that four men had been charged with burglary, transferring criminal property, and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. 

Though some of the men behind the burglary might soon feel the swift flush of justice, authorities are doubtful that the sculpture itself will ever be returned. Matthew Barber, a police and crime commissioner for the Thames Valley, told the BBC in 2021 that “recovering the toilet would be a challenge … If you have that large amount of gold, I think it seems likely that someone has already managed to dispose of it one way or another. It would be great if we can recover it and return it but personally, I’m not convinced it’s still in quite the same form it was.”

The sculpture was first shown at the Guggenheim in 2016, and visitors were offered the chance to “visit” the fully functioning privy, which was installed in one of the institution’s restrooms. In September 2019, it was moved to Blenheim Palace which was to host an exhibition of Cattelan’s work.

According the Times, when Cattelan heard about the heist he said “Who’s so stupid to steal a toilet?” forgetting that he’d made one out of solid gold.