A BRONZE statue of Melania Trump has been stolen, and the artist behind the impressive work fears it was targeted for an eye-rolling reason.
This is the second life-size likeness of Melania to be targeted by brazen criminals.
American sculptor Brad Downey is seeking answers following the theft of his artwork from Melania Trump’s hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia.
The statue, which once stood in the heart of the town, was audaciously removed on May 13 by being cut from its base, and hasn’t been seen since, as reported by local police to Agence France-Presse.
Downey, who is from Louisville, Kentucky, and now lives in Berlin, Germany, admitted he was “sad” to hear it was gone.
However, after learning the news, it didn’t take him long to devise a theory on what had happened to his life-size work.
“My feeling is that it has something to do with the new election [of Donald Trump], but who knows, right?” he said.
Downey designed the abstracted form in 2020, and it depicts the first lady waving at friends and family in the town where she grew up.
Downey initially intended to showcase the statue in a museum or gallery, but opted to donate it after another sculpture he created of the former first lady was set on fire.
In July 2020, a sick arsonist set the wooden piece, which was commissioned by Downey, alight and completely singed the face of the sculpture.
That piece of art was designed by Slovenian artist Ales Zupevc, who was born in the same hospital and the same year as Melania.
Downey mourned the loss of the work at the time, but was hopeful that the new statue would restore some faith in the community.
“I didn’t think it was a good ending for the artwork, I didn’t think it was a good ending for the community,” he told CNN.
After the first attack, officials were unable to track down any suspects, leading them to fear that Downey or one of his associates was behind the attack.
But Downey blasted the accusations and said that he “loved” the commissioned work.
Unshakeable Melania supporters in the hometown removed the burned wooden sculpture from its post and submitted it to an art exhibition in nearby Slovenian town Kroper called F**k Off Illusion.
MELANIA’S JOURNEY
Quiet Sevnica only has a population of 5,000 people, and it’s become famous for tourism inspired by the first lady.
Now, the small town sells Melania-themed products, like chocolate, honey, and cake.
Slovenia was under Communist rule when Melania was born. Her late mother, Amalija, worked hard as a patternmaker at a clothing factory while her dad Viktor sold cars to provide for their family.
Melania has praised her parents for instilling a strong work ethic in her, which helped as she moved away from the country to pursue modeling and fashion.
“They’re both hardworking,” she told GQ in 2016.
“They’re both very smart and very capable. They grew up in totally different environments, but they have the same values, they have the same tradition.”
