- Title: Melania Trump statue in Slovenia removed after fire damage
- Date: 8th July 2020
- Summary: SEVNICA, SLOVENIA (JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) MAIN STREET OF MELANIA'S HOME TOWN APARTMENT BLOCK WHERE MELANIA USED TO LIVE PEDESTRIANS AND TRAFFIC (SOUNDBITE) (Slovene) SEVNICA RESIDENT AND ARTIST, RUDI STOPAR, SAYING: "I personally don't like either the place where it was or the statue. I think it was done naively. It could be the pride of Sevnica because we can be proud that the First Lady came from here. It could have been done better and in a better setting. In any case the 'assassination' of the statue is sad and shameful." TRAFFIC (SOUNDBITE) (Slovene) SEVNICA RESIDENT AND ARTIST, RUDI STOPAR, SAYING: "I think it is right that she has a statue in her birthplace. But I think it should be done professionally and artistically crafted. It does not have to be in a park. It can be in a room or on the street." ROZNO, SLOVENIA (JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STATUE'S WOODEN PLINTH
- Embargoed: 22nd July 2020 16:07
- Keywords: FLOTUS Melania Trump Sevnica Slovenia hometown politics statue burned
- Location: ROZNO AND SEVNICA, SLOVENIA
- City: ROZNO AND SEVNICA, SLOVENIA
- Country: Slovenia
- Topics: Celebrities,Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA002CLY8UUX
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A wooden sculpture of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, unveiled near her hometown of Sevnica a year ago, has been dismantled after being set on fire on Saturday (July 4).
Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist who commissioned the sculpture, told Reuters he had it removed on Sunday (July 5) after he was informed of the damage by police.
The blocky, rustic figure was carved by a local folk artist Ales Zupevc from the trunk of a living linden tree - whose base forms the statue's plinth - in a field beside the Sava River in the village of Rozno, eight km (5 miles) from Sevnica.
The figure was shown clothed in the pale blue coat that Melania wore at Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president.
"The 'assassination' of the statue is sad and shameful," Sevnica resident and artist Rudi Stopar said, although he added he had not really liked it.
Stopar nevertheless said it was important there should be a statue of President Trump's wife in Sevnica, saying the town could take pride in having a U.S. First Lady among its former residents.
(Production: Borut Zivulovic, Lewis Macdonald) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
