Statue of Melania Trump sawed off, leaving only her feet

Bronze statue replaces wooden statue of Melania Trump burned in 2020 - Photo: JURE MAKOVEC/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE - GETTY IMAGES

A bronze statue of Melania Trump has disappeared five years after it was erected to replace a wooden statue that was damaged by arsonists years ago.

Melania Trump statue destroyed again

Slovenian police told CNN they received a report of the theft in the village of Rozno, where the statue is located.

“Police have inspected the crime scene and are gathering information,” police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik Rangus said in a statement. Authorities did not provide further details.

Photos published in local media in Slovenia show that most of the statue has been sawed off, leaving only its feet and ankles attached to the tree trunk on which it once stood.

Most of the statue was sawed off, leaving only the feet and ankles - Photo: MATEJ LESKOVSEK/THE NEW YORK TIMES

The statue is located by a river near the town of Sevnica, a small and picturesque town about 90km east of Slovenia's capital Ljubljana.

Before the bronze statue was stolen, the original wooden version was burned down by anonymous arsonists in July 2020 - just one year after the statue was erected.

After being severely burned, the wooden statue was removed from its pedestal and then displayed at an art gallery in the Slovenian town of Koper later that year, and then at an exhibition in Croatia in 2023.

The statue was controversial

Sevnica is a sleepy town of about 5,000 people that has capitalized on Melania's fame to boost tourism , with a range of products inspired by her, including honey, chocolate and cakes.

A cake inspired by Melania Trump is sold in the town of Sevnica - Photo: MATEJ LESKOVSEK/THE NEW YORK TIMES

People in Sevnica have their own suspicions. Some believe it may have been an act of vandalism; others say the statue may have been melted down for money. However, no one seems to think the statue’s disappearance is politically motivated in any way.

Both the wooden and metal versions were commissioned by American artist Brad Downey, who collaborated with local artisans to create the statues.

Downey commissioned the wooden statue from local artist Ales Zupevc, who was born in the same year and hospital as Melania Trump.

The sculpture depicts the first lady in the sky-blue dress she wore to her husband's first presidential inauguration in 2017. The expressionless statue, with its stiffly raised arm, received mixed reactions and never really won over the people of Sevnica.

According to The New York Times , the statue has been criticized for looking like a straw man or a Smurf character.

DAWN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuong-ba-melania-trump-bi-cua-chi-con-ban-chan-2025052107374271.htm