Melania Trump’s bronze statue, which was exposed on the outskirts of her hometown of Slovenia, disappeared five years after replacing the original Wood version, which was damaged by incendiary actions in July 2020.
Local police said to CNN which was informed of a theft in the village of Rožno, where the statue was located. Police officers “conducted an inspection at the crime scene and collected information,” police spokesman Alenka Drenik Rangus said in a statement on Friday (16).
“The instructional judge and the district public prosecutor were informed about the theft,” added Rangus. Authorities did not provide further details.
Old statue and criticism from local residents
Photos published on social networks and Slovenian local media show that most of the statue was sawn, leaving only the feet and ankles attached to the tree trunk where it was.
Melania Trump (The Statue) Vanishes in Slovenia.
The Bronze Sculpture, Erected Near Ms. Trump’s HomeTown in Eastern Slovenia, Was Chopped Off at the Feet and Stolen, The Police Said. pic.twitter.com/xx6sdbn59h– ͻγσɽẛ∁ (@cholericcleric) May 19, 2025
The statue was situated on the banks of a river near Sevnica, a small town about 90 kilometers east from the Liublian Slovenia capital.
Already the old wooden statue was removed from its pedestal before being shown in an art gallery in the Slovenian city of Koper in late 2020, and at an exhibition in Croatia in 2023.
Artist Brad Downey told CNN That always intended to make a bronze version of the statue to expose in an institutional environment, but decided to use it to replace the wood sculpture after it was severely burned.
Downey had originally ordered wood sculpture from local concept artist Ales Zupevc, better known as Maxi, who was born in the same hospital and the same year as Melania Trump.
Melania’s somewhat abstract representation with the sky-blue dress she wore in her husband’s first presidential possession in 2017, received mixed criticism from local residents.
Sevnica is a quiet city of 5,000 inhabitants who benefited from the success of the first lady, positioning themselves firmly on the tourist circuit and selling a variety of products with the theme “Melania”, including foods such as honey, chocolate and cake.
This content was originally published in a bronze statue of the US First Lady disappears in Slovenia on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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