A bronze statue of Melania Trump has been stolen from her native Slovenia after a thief cut it off at the ankles. The towering sculpture was anchored to a tree stump in a field near Melania’s hometown of Sevnica. It vanished on Tuesday, according to police.
The sculpture was created by American conceptual artist Brad Downey. It had been installed after arsonists torched a wooden version resembling the former first lady back in 2020. Downey expressed his disappointment, saying, “I’m a bit sad that it’s gone.” He speculated that the theft might be related to the new election of Donald Trump but conceded uncertainty.
The theft was reported on May 13, and police immediately launched an investigation. The statue, depicting Melania in her famous blue inauguration outfit, had become a notable landmark in the region. Melania Trump was born in Novo Mesto in 1970.
She grew up in Sevnica when Slovenia was part of the Communist nation of Yugoslavia. This is the third time the statue has been targeted. It raises questions about the motives behind these repeated incidents.
The investigation continues as authorities seek to recover the stolen artwork.
Melania statue missing again in Slovenia
Photos published in Slovenian local media show most of the statue has been sawed off.
Only its feet and ankles remain attached to the tree trunk it stood on. The statue was located beside a river near Sevnica, about 90 kilometers east of Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana. Before this bronze statue was stolen, its original wooden incarnation was set alight in July 2020 by vandals.
Badly burnt, it was then removed from its plinth before being displayed at an art gallery in the Slovenian town of Koper later that year and at an exhibition in Croatia in 2023. The wooden statue was created by conceptual artist Ales “Maxi” Zupevc. It was installed in July 2019.
Artist Brad Downey had always intended to make a bronze version of the statue to exhibit in an institutional setting. He decided to use it to replace the wooden sculpture after it was badly burned. Downey had originally commissioned the wooden sculpture from Zupevc, who was born in the same hospital and the same year as Melania Trump.
Its somewhat abstract depiction of the first lady in the sky-blue dress she wore to her husband’s first presidential inauguration in 2017 drew mixed reviews from locals. Sevnica, a sleepy town of 5,000 residents, has profited from its most famous daughter. It has placed itself firmly on the tourist trail and sells a range of Melania-themed products, including honey, chocolate, and cake.
