(MENAFN) A fully operational golden toilet, titled ‘America’ and previously stolen from a British palace, is now up for auction at Sotheby’s, with a guide price of $10 million.

The 18-karat gold piece was originally unveiled in 2016 by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan and later purchased in 2017 by billionaire New York Mets owner Stephen Cohen through the Marian Goodman Gallery.

Weighing 103 kilograms, the artwork functioned as a public toilet when installed at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. It recently gained renewed attention after Sotheby’s announced its inclusion in the upcoming fall contemporary art sale.

The auction house is hoping the listing generates excitement reminiscent of Cattelan’s earlier work, ‘Comedian’, a duct-taped banana that fetched $6.2 million last year.

Multiple anonymous sources have confirmed that Cohen is the consignor, though both Sotheby’s and the Marian Goodman Gallery have refrained from providing further details.

Cohen, who serves as chairman and CEO of Point72, an asset management firm with investments spanning entertainment and pharmaceuticals, is also known for a distinctive art collection that merges humor with political commentary. Notable pieces include a Jasper Johns painting and Damien Hirst’s suspended shark in formaldehyde.

The golden toilet carries a controversial legacy. A similar work was famously offered to the White House during Donald Trump’s first term in 2016 as an alternative to a Van Gogh painting. The piece first drew public attention at the Guggenheim, where over 100,000 visitors came to experience its unique and interactive nature.

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