Artist ‘praying’ gold toilet theft from Blenheim Palace a prank

The creator of a solid gold toilet, reportedly worth £4.8 million, which was stolen from Blenheim Palace, is “praying” the theft is a prank.

The 18-carat working loo was ripped from a wood-panelled room at the stately home, birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, in the early hours of Saturday.

Blenheim Palace chief executive Dominic Hare said Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan – who created the sculpture named America – was “mortified” by claims he had orchestrated its theft in a Banksy-style prank.

Mr Hare told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think he would be mortified by that suggestion and has said so. That simply hasn’t happened here.

“But he is right. He feels like he is in a heist movie and

I think it took him quite a few minutes to comprehend that this had actually happened.

“He was mortified, shocked, praying that it was a prank and that it would come back. Now he’s just reflecting, I think.”

Some sceptics have been slow to accept the theft at face value, with the image of artist Banksy shredding his famous Girl With A Balloon painting at Sotheby’s auctioneers still fresh in the mind of the art world.

He added: “You always take a risk in showing art. The safest thing to do with art, I suppose, is to put it in a strongroom and lock the door. We think that risk is worth taking.”

Cattelan, 58, is understood to have attended a reception party at the 18th Century Oxfordshire estate on Friday, marking his first UK solo exhibition in two decades.

The sculpture was the centrepiece of his new show, which opened on Thursday.