Trump Asks Museum for Van Gogh, Gets Offered Used Gold Toilet
NEWS, ANGLO AMERICA, ARTS, TRIVIA, 29 Jan 2018
teleSUR – TRANSCEND Media Service
The Guggenheim’s curator said – tongue firmly in cheek – that a satirical piece entitled “America,” a functioning 18kt solid-gold toilet, was available for “long-term loan.”
![](https://www.transcend.org/tms/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/america-golden-toilet-trump-guggenheim.jpg)
Created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, “America” artfully criticises the capitalist mentality and excessive wealth embodied by Donald Trump. | Photo: Reuters
26 Jan 2018 – When U.S. President Donald Trump asked to borrow one of Van Gogh’s masterpieces from the Guggenheim Art Museum, the museum’s anti-Trump director had a different idea: a gold toilet, used.
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Museum Curator Nancy Spector, a vocal critic of the current U.S. administration, responded to Trump’s request by email: “I am sorry… to inform you that we are unable to participate in this loan since the painting is part of the museum’s Thannhauser Collection, which is prohibited from travel except for the rarest of occasions.”
She continued – tongue firmly in cheek – that a satirical piece entitled “America,” a functioning 18kt solid-gold toilet, was available for “long-term loan” and could be easily installed in the White House for the president’s personal use.
“It is, of course, extremely valuable and somewhat fragile, but we would provide all the instructions for its installation and care,” Spector wrote.
Created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, “America” artfully criticises the capitalist mentality and excessive wealth rampant in certain sectors of the United States: the perfect gift for a billionaire businessman turned politician.
The fully functional throne was installed in the museum during a special exhibition in 2016 and reportedly proved wildly popular.
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Social media users privy to the story seized on its comic potential and the curator’s subtle criticism of Trump and his recent racist outburst condemning so-called “shithole countries.”
“Trump asked The Guggenheim to borrow a Van Gogh, instead they offered him a golden toilet. Guess that’s what happens when the first thing you do as president is gut the National Endowment for the Arts,” tweeted Kaivan Shroff.
Not everyone was amused. One Twitter user wrote: “@Guggenheim Thank you for allowing #NancySpector insult our @POTUS by offering him a #GoldenToilet. Please don’t be expecting my yearly donation this 2018. Seeing as I voted for @realDonaldTrump I’m assuming my donations aren’t wanted anymore.”
The White House has yet to respond.
You spend your life hoping one day you’ll get the chance to respond to an unreasonable request in a manner worthy of Oscar Wilde. For this one Guggenheim curator, that moment came last September and, as the kids say, she didn’t throw away her shot. https://t.co/AtT13KTRjR
— aderson francois 🇭🇹 14th Amendment Baby (@abfrancois) January 25, 2018
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There is so much fake news out there, I wonder if this one is actually real….seems too absurd.
Dear Willey, for your peace of mind:
NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/arts/gold-toilet-trump.html
Esquire: http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a15902556/trump-guggenheim-gold-toilet/
TIME magazine: http://time.com/5119759/guggenheim-offered-gold-toilet-donald-trump/
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/25/white-house-gold-toilet-loan-guggenheim-museum
BBC: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42827291
CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/25/politics/guggenheim-white-house-van-gogh-toilet/index.html
I believe this suffices. IF it is fake, well, I don’t know what to say. I guess it is to be believed with so many ‘reputable’ sources.
Cheers!
Antonio, the editor.