The brazen theft of a fully functional, solid gold toilet by the artist Maurizio Cattelan at Blenheim Palace has finally seen the alleged thieves go on trial after a four year hiatus.
Prosecutors told an Oxford Crown Court jury this week that the 18-carat toilet—titled America and created by Cattelan—was most likely dismantled and melted down for its gold value. The one-of-a-kind artwork, estimated to be worth £4.8 million ($6 million), has never been recovered.
Michael Jones, 39, of Oxford, is accused of burglary but denies involvement. Two other men, Fred Doe (previously known as Frederick Sines), 36, from Windsor, and Bora Guccuk, 41, from London, have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to transfer criminal property. A fourth man, James Sheen, 40, pleaded guilty last April to burglary and money laundering charges.
Just before dawn on September 14, 2019, a gang of five arrived at the Oxfordshire estate in two vehicles. They rammed through the locked gates of Blenheim Palace—famously the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill—and forced their way inside with sledgehammers, prosecutors said.
Within minutes, the 98-kilogram (216-pound) golden toilet was yanked out of its plumbing damage to the grade 1 listed property and museum. The suspects fled, leaving the sledgehammers behind.
“The raid took just five minutes,” prosecutor Julian Christopher KC told the court. “The work of art was never recovered. It appears to have been split into smaller amounts of gold and sold off.” Prosecutors presented evidence that Jones had visited the palace the day before the theft, taking a photo of the toilet as part of what they described as reconnaissance for the crime.
The court heard that messages, voice notes, and screenshots found on the phones of Sheen, Doe, and Guccuk revealed negotiations to sell around 20 kilograms of the stolen gold for £25,632 per kilo.
Guccuk, a jeweller who ran Pacha of London in Hatton Garden, allegedly stood to make about £3,000 in profit per kilo.
At the time of the theft, gold prices valued the metal content of the toilet at around £2.8 million ($3.5 million). However, its significance as a piece of art—designed as a satirical commentary on wealth and excess—made it worth far more.
The theft of America made international headlines because of its audacity and the sheer logistical challenge of stealing a plumbed-in, fully functional toilet from a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The exhibition allowed visitors to use the golden lavatory—under close supervision.
Despite years of investigation, the fate of the toilet remains unknown. What is certain, however, is that a trial is now underway, and the bizarre case of the missing golden throne may finally get some answers.
Maurizio Cattelan: A Master of Mischief
Maurizio Cattelan (b. 1960, Padua, Italy) is one of contemporary art’s most provocative and irreverent figures. Known for his dark humour and conceptual brilliance, Cattelan’s works often blur the lines between satire, social commentary, and absurdity.
His most infamous pieces include Comedian (2019), a simple yet audacious artwork consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall. It sold for $120,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach—only to be later eaten by a performance artist. The piece became a viral sensation, sparking debates on the nature of art and commerce.
Another of his headline-grabbing works, America (2016), was a fully functional, 18-carat gold toilet meant as a tongue-in-cheek critique of excess and inequality. The toilet was installed at the Guggenheim Museum in New York before being moved to Blenheim Palace in England. In 2019, it was stolen in a daring five-minute heist, likely melted down and lost forever.
Beyond these works, Cattelan’s career is filled with bold and often controversial pieces, such as La Nona Ora (1999), which depicts Pope John Paul II struck down by a meteorite, and Him (2001), an eerie sculpture of Adolf Hitler in a childlike pose of prayer.
Though he has often claimed to be “retired,” Cattelan continues to challenge the art world with his wit and fearless creativity, proving that his legacy is anything but conventional.