Visitors of the Guggenheim are getting a golden opportunity to make full use of one exhibit. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan replaced a toilet in a fourth-floor restroom with an 18-karat gold throne called “America.” The museum says the exhibit evokes the American dream of opportunity. For New Yorkers, it’s the opportunity to use the restroom in toilet-starved Manhattan.
What to Know
- The toilet is part of the "America" exhibit, which opened in September
- Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is responsible for the installation
- It's Cattelan's first exhibit since his 2011 retrospective at the Guggenheim
Patrons at the Guggenheim are standing in line for up to two hours to use the bathroom at the Fifth Avenue museum, but they don't seem to mind the wait.
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan replaced the toilet in the museum's fourth-floor restroom with a fully functional replica cast in 18-karat gold as part of his "America" exhibit, which opened in September.
According to Vulture, which first reported the long wait, the golden throne has become quiet the attraction.
The exhibit is currently on open-ended display. The toilet is the first piece Cattelan has exhibited since his 2011 retrospective at the Guggenheim.
The museum says on its website that the exhibit "offers a wink to the excesses of the art market but also evokes the American dream of opportunity for all."
