Paris ‘sex toy’ sculpture removed after being vandalised

A GIANT ‘tree’ sculpture in one of the world’s biggest cities has been removed after passers by thought it looked like something else entirely.

A GIANT inflatable sculpture that caused outrage in Paris for its resemblance to a sex toy will not be reinstalled after being reduced to a flaccid heap by vandals, its creator said Saturday.

The inflatable sculpture called “Tree” vaguely resembled a Christmas tree but evoked for others, including its creator, the artist Paul McCarthy, a giant anal sex toy.

It’s supposed to be a tree ... but many think it looks like something else. Pic: Jacques Brinon,

It was put up on the city’s ritzy Place Vendome on Thursday next to a column topped by a statue of Napoleon, leading to slaps in the face for the 69-year-old American artist.

However on Saturday night the wires holding the sculpture in place were severed by vandals — leaving the 24 metre high work — which provoked a storm of mirth on social media for its resemblance to a “butt plug” — slumped on the pavement.

The sculpture won’t be going back up. Pic: Francois Mori.

The FIAC contemporary art fair, which organised for the sculpture to be put up close to the Ritz Hotel, said in a statement that “the artist was worried about potential trouble if the work was put back up”.

McCarthy himself said: “Instead of a profound reflection about objects as a mode of expression with multiple meanings, we have witnessed violent reactions.”

The artist is known for his controversial and ambiguous works, but even he was surprised at the reception he got in Paris, better known for its relaxed attitude toward sexual matters.

The statue being backed away for another day. Pic: Francois Mori.

“Individuals waited until the security guard’s attention was elsewhere and cut the cable that kept the sculpture in place,” a police source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“The work slumped down,” the source said, adding that police were investigating the incident.

A FIAC official said the offenders also unplugged the pump that kept the structure erect.

Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin blasted the vandalism, calling it “a serious attack on the principle of artistic freedom.”

The sculpture was deflated and folded up on Saturday.