NEW YORK: A New York museum has set up a working 18-carat solid gold toilet in one of its washrooms. The golden toilet called "America" has been opened to the public, the media reported.
New York's renowned Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum invited visitors to use "America", when the need arises.
The golden toilet crafted by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is a fully functional, solid gold copy of a Kohler toilet, an over-the-top apotheosis of wealth.
It was installed in the restroom on the fifth-floor ramp of the museum, the New York Times reported.
Cattelan reportedly stated that his artwork was about economic inequality.
The toilet is "a bold, irreverent work ... ultimately reminding us of the inescapable physical realities of our shared humanity", the Guggenheim museum said.
It added that the point of the bright, shiny object is to make "available to the public an extravagant luxury product seemingly intended for the 1 per cent," or the wealthiest people.
According the New York Times, the arrival of the golden toilet was delayed because it was difficult to set up in the Guggenheim. Private donors provided money for the project. The toilet's value has yet to be made public.
The toilet was open to public from Friday.