Gold loo, just a penny a go

Visitors are being invited to spend a penny in a solid gold toilet at New York City’s Guggenheim Museum.

Italian artist and sculptor Maurizio Cattelan created the fully functional 18-carat gold lavatory, which he has titled America.

The question is though, why would a musuem spend money on such an item..?

Is it a case of cash flushed down the drain.?