A £4.8 million golden toilet was stolen in just five minutes

A golden toilet installed at Blenheim Palace in the U.K. was stolen in just five minutes. The five-member theft group was arrested by police, but the whereabouts of the toilet is still unknown.

According to foreign media such as the Associated Press and the BBC on the 25th, three men were tried at Oxford Crown Court in England on charges of theft of a golden toilet.

They are accused of stealing a golden toilet that was exhibited at an art exhibition at Blenum Palace in the early hours of September 14, 2019. According to prosecutors, the five thieves entered the palace grounds using two pre-stolen vehicles, broke the window, and broke into the building. They left the building just five minutes after removing the toilet attached to the wall.

The police arrested the suspects after a quick investigation, but the golden toilet was never recovered. Prosecutors said it is highly likely that the stolen toilet was already shredded and sold in metal.

The golden toilet in question is “America” by Italian installation artist Maurizio Cattelan.

Cattelan made this work to satirize the gap between the rich and the poor, adding that it is “one percent art for 99 percent.” The toilet was made of 18K gold and weighed 98 kg at the time.

At the time of the theft, the value of the work was valued at about £2.8 million, but since then, the price of gold has soared and has now soared to £4.8 million.

Blenum Palace, where the theft took place, is famous as the birthplace of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, one of the greatest leaders in British history. The reckless theft of the site, which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, shocked British society.

Some of the five thieves are on trial, still denying the allegations. However, the toilet has disappeared without a trace and is likely to have been turned into a gold bar, making it difficult to recover.

Meanwhile, ‘America’ was a work that was installed so that the audience could actually use it. This golden toilet, which was used as a toilet during the exhibition, eventually disappeared as a target of crime.

SALLY LEE

US ASIA JOURNAL