NYC museum invites viewers to use 18-karat gold toilet

NEW YORK -- A New York City museum is offering visitors a chance to sit on a golden throne, but only in private.

As part of his "America" exhibit at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan replaced the toilet in the museum's fourth-floor restroom with a fully functional replica cast in 18-karat gold.

Viewers are invited to use the solid gold toilet just as they would any other facility.

It's the first piece Cattelan has exhibited since his 2011 retrospective at the Guggenheim. It opens on Friday.

The museum says on its website that the exhibit "offers a wink to the excesses of the art market but also evokes the American dream of opportunity for all."