Donald Trump: museum offers gold toilet instead of Van Gogh painting
Guggenheim is both praised and criticised for response to White House request
The US president reportedly asked New York’s Guggenheim Museum if he could borrow a Van Gogh for the White House - but was offered a gold toilet instead. Used by 100,000 visitors, the golden lavatory is thought to be a metaphor for Trump’s America.
The White House apparently asked for the loan of Van Gogh’s 1888 Landscape With Snow, according to The Independent.
The Washington Post says the museum wrote back to say it could not lend the White House the painting, but was willing to offer an 18-karat gold sculpture by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan of a “functioning toilet” instead.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The exhibit, titled America, is seen as a “pointed satire on excessive wealth in the US”, says the BBC.
Museum curator Nancy Spector wrote about the piece in a blog last year, calling it “at once humorous and searing in its critique of our current realities”.
“Though crafted from millions of dollars’ worth of gold, the sculpture is actually a great leveller,” she said, adding that “Cattelan’s anticipation of Trump’s America will, perhaps, be the lasting imprint of the sculpture’s time at the Guggenheim”.
The cost of the artwork has not been revealed.
Asked to explain the meaning of the gold toilet offer, Spector reportedly said: “What’s the point of our life? Everything seems absurd until we die and then it makes sense.”
The White House has made no comment, but many have taken to Twitter to take a swipe at the sitting president.
Not everyone is so enamoured of the Guggenheim’s approach, however.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A history of student protest at Columbia University
The Explainer Anti-Israel demonstrations at NYC's Ivy League university echo protests against Vietnam War and South African apartheid
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Trump is ruled in contempt'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Hainault sword attack: police hunt for motive
Speed Read Mental health is key line of inquiry, as detectives prepare to interview suspect
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'Can we — the people who have bought so much already — really keep buying more?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Presidential debates are more performance art than actual ways to inform'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump, DeSantis meet for first time since primary
Speed Read The former president and the Florida governor have seemingly mended their rivalry
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Justices set to punt on Trump immunity case
Speed Read Conservative justices signaled support for Trump's protection from criminal charges
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Biden is smart to keep the border-security pressure on'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Arizona grand jury indicts 18 in Trump fake elector plot
Speed Read The state charged Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani and other Trump allies in 2020 election interference case
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Who will win the 2024 presidential election?
In Depth Election year is here. Who are pollsters and experts predicting to win the White House?
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published