The statue of Melania Trump has once again vanished from her Slovenian hometown, this time, in bronze. Police in Sevnica are investigating what appears to be a carefully executed theft, after the sculpture was found sawed off at the ankles and removed.
This second version of the statue is a life-sized bronze figure created by American artist Brad Downey, which has stood on the banks of the River Sava since September 2020. Downey had originally unveiled the statue as a replacement for a previous version, an abstract wooden piece carved by local artist Ales “Maxi” Zupevc.
The first statue was set on fire just months earlier on U.S. Independence Day. Police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik Rangus confirmed the investigation is ongoing. "Police were informed about the theft of the statue on Tuesday. We are working to track down those responsible," Rangus stated.
All that now remains is a pair of bronze feet and the wooden base they were mounted on. Downey, who commissioned both statues, said the bronze figure was designed to be “as solid as possible, out of a durable material which cannot be wantonly destroyed.”
But that clearly didn’t prevent it from being removed. In light of the statue’s sudden disappearance, Downey remarked, “It has something to do with Trump getting re-elected.”
The statue has always been a complicated subject, even when the wooden piece was unveiled in 2019, showing the First Lady in a pale blue dress inspired by her 2017 inauguration outfit, locals had mixed feelings about it.
One resident told the BBC it resembled “Smurfette,” while another said, “It does not look as beautiful as she normally is.” Franja Kranjc, who works at a local bakery that once sold Melania-branded cakes, wasn’t sad to see the statue go.
“I think no one was really proud at this statue, not even the First Lady of the USA,” he said. “So I think it's OK that it's removed.” Local officials said the destruction of the statue is a violation of public and private property, while also acknowledging that “the image of the US First Lady was not something anyone was proud of.”