Gold Toilet Named “America” Fetches $12.1 Million At Auction

At a Sotheby’s auction in New York, Gustav Klimt’s “Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer” sold for $236 million, setting a record for modern art. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s solid gold, fully functional toilet titled “America,” satirizing superwealth, also sold for $12.1 million. The 18-karat piece highlights art’s clash with commodity value and was one of two created in 2016.