A wooden sculpture depicting first lady Melania Trump was set on fire close to her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, on the Fourth of July, according to a report.
Reuters reports:
Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist, told Reuters he had the life-sized blackened, disfigured sculpture removed as soon as police informed him on July 5th of the incident. […]
Downey, 39, said he had filed a police report and would like to interview the culprits, if found, for a film he is preparing ahead of his exhibition due to open in Slovenia in September.
“The investigation in this case has not been completed yet so we cannot reveal details due to the interest of further procedures,” police spokesperson Alenka Drenik said in a statement to Reuters.
The first lady’s office has not publically weighed in on the report.
The sculpture, erected in July 2019, was made by local artist Ales “Maxi” Zupevc, who carved it with a chainsaw using living linden tree bark. The statue abstractly depicts the first lady in a Ralph Lauren powder blue ensemble that she wore for President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2017.
A wooden statue depicting President Trump was torched in Moravce, Slovenia, in January.