[1][2] It was stolen in 2019 from Blenheim Palace, where it was exhibited on loan from the permanent collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

According to Cattelan, the work was made of 103 kilograms (227 lb) of gold, which in September 2019 was valued at more than four million dollars as bullion.

[7] In September 2019, America was installed at Blenheim Palace in the United Kingdom, where it was available for use as part of an exhibition of Cattelan's works.

A representative of the palace previously said that because America was plumbed in, and potential thieves would be aware of its use, security was not much of an issue.

[11] Because it had been connected to the building's water pipes, the theft caused structural damage and flooding to the World Heritage Site.

[21][22] Speculation about the fate of the toilet includes it being melted down, that it has been hidden fairly close to Blenheim and that the theft is a prank by Cattelan.

"[5] Art critic Jonathan Jones, using the work at Blenheim Palace, opined that it felt "Much like peeing on porcelain.

[26] In 2002, Winger Lam Sai-wing [zh], a Hong Kong businessman, included two gold toilets in what he called a shrine to Lenin.