A solid 18-carat gold toilet, called ‘America’, has been stolen from Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill’s birthplace in Britain.
While The Telegraph reported that the unique solid gold toilet is valued at £4.8m (an estimated N1.7bn), CNN quoted a Blenheim Palace spokesperson as saying that the worth for ‘America’ is over $5 million (an estimated N1.8bn)
The theft is said to have happened in the early hours of Saturday at the monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, where the property had been installed as part of a contemporary art exhibition.
The piece of art, opened to the public for use on Thursday, was ripped off the ground, causing significant damage and flooding.
Jess Milne, a detective and spokesperson of the Thames Valley police, said a thorough investigation is being conducted to apprehend those involved in the theft and recover the piece of art.
“The piece of art that has been stolen is a high-value toilet made out of gold that was on display at the palace. The artwork has not been recovered at this time, but we are conducting a thorough investigation to find it and bring those responsible to justice,” he said.
Dominic Hare, the palace’s chief executive, also spoke on the burglary. He urged persons with any useful information to reach out to the police.
“We confirm that ‘America’, the art piece by Maurizio Cattelan, has been stolen in the early hours of this morning. We are saddened by this extraordinary event, but also relieved no one was hurt. We are very grateful to our staff and to Thames Valley Police for their rapid and brave reactions,” he said.
“We knew there was huge interest in the Maurizio Cattelan contemporary art exhibition, with many sets to come and enjoy the installations. It’s, therefore, a great shame an item so precious has been taken, but we still have so many fascinating treasures in the palace and the remaining items of the exhibition to share.”
Although there are claims that a 66-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection to the theft, the police said that the art piece is still yet to be recovered as the palace announced its closure until 2 pm on Saturday.
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