Urinating on Art?
The Throne ( or Guggen-head)
The 18k solid gold toilet by the artist Maurizio Cattelan entitled "America," and costing somewhere between $1.5 and $2.5 million, has finally been installed in a restroom at the Guggenheim Museum. Could this be a nod to Marcel Duchamp’s 1917 'fountain' - or a pedestal of excess reflecting a world where Donald Trump is taken seriously...
"Fountain" by Marcel Duchamp 1917 - a major landmark in the avant-garde.
Cattelan's fully functioning gold toilet is supposed to be a social commentary on the disparities between the “haves” and the “have nots” –– which visitors are invited to reflect upon while they make use of it. I doubt however that the “have nots” will be doing much reflecting in this particular cubicle, or will actually have time to visit the commode, as they are too busy elsewhere trying to make a living. Apparently a guard will remain permanently on duty by the restroom and it will be "wiped" every fifteen minutes.
So one could celebrate the fact that this extravagant art piece has at least created one new job!
