Naked Trump statue stirs up keen interest

A BIZARRE lifesize nude statue of American president US President Donald Trump has been sold by Julien’s Auctions of California for $28 000 (nearly R358 000).

The work was created by controversial US artist collective Indecline, in 2016, as part of a series of Trump statues installed in public places to ridicule their ruler.

As the others were hastily removed by the authorities, destroyed or vandalised, this last – and unflattering – depiction of the US president led to heavy pre-sale interest and brisk bidding.

The sculpture, entitled The Emperor Has No Balls, is a clay and silicone creation missing an important part of the male anatomy. It was auctioned off in Julien’s first street and urban art auction, alongside works from Banksy, Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat, in New Jersey on May 2.

The buyer was US television personality Zak Bagans, who hosts the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures, and bills himself as a “paranormal investigator”. Bagans intends installing Trump in his Haunted Museum in Las Vegas.

The Indecline sculptor who took on the task of moulding all the Trumps is simply known as “Ginger”. He says his Trump nudes were inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s folktale The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Indecline is a group of writers, filmmakers, photographers and “fulltime rebels and activists”, according to the group’s website.

The collective has been linked to several protest actions, such as covering the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with the names of African Americans killed by police.