Golden naked Trump statue unveiled at European Parliament

The 23-carat gold-covered sculpture shows the US president sitting naked on the back of a frail man in a work inspired by The Emperor’s New Clothes

A giant golden statue of a naked Donald Trump has been unveiled inside the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The Orange Plague, by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt, shows the U.S president sitting on the shoulders of a frail man while holding the scales of justice and a golf club, with a globe-shaped golf ball beside him.

The 2.6-metre sculpture is covered in 23-carat gold leaf and is being displayed for three days after Danish MEP Per Clausen, a member of The Left group, invited Galschiøt to exhibit it.

The work is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes and is intended as a satire on the way powerful countries seek to impose their interests on others.

The plinth carries the inscription: “I am sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under my burden. I will do anything to help him. Except step down from his back.”

Galschiøt said: “The sculpture is not directed against the European Parliament. Quite the opposite. It is about the attempts by the great powers to dominate, control and reshape the world according to their own interests.

“Trump is an extreme and very visible symbol of this development. I have made him naked and covered him in gold because sometimes satire can say things that political language cannot.”

The sculpture had stood covered by an orange cloth in one of the Parliament’s busiest areas before being unveiled to MEPs, staff, lobbyists, journalists and visitors.

Clausen defended the decision to host the work, saying: “If someone is so thin-skinned that they cannot tolerate this sculpture being displayed in the European Parliament, then they have no business on the world stage.”

Visitors are also being given 3D-printed miniature versions of the sculpture to take away.

Galschiøt said the models were intended as small protest symbols and reminders that resistance to abuses of power could also take the form of art, humour and debate.

The sculpture, also known as King of Injustice, will remain on display at the Parliament until Thursday.

Galschiøt is known for politically charged public installations and has previously displayed The Orange Plague at events including the Munich Security Conference earlier this year.

READ MORE: Marisa Papen – the naked truth behind one of the world’s most controversial models. From Playboy covers to arrests and international controversy, Belgian model Marisa Papen has spent much of her career challenging religious authority, censorship and attitudes towards the female body. Now, in an exclusive interview with Mike Leidig, she reveals a deeply personal side to her work, explains the thinking behind her latest project and recounts an extraordinary incident in an Italian sculpture garden.

Do you have news to share or expertise to contribute? The European welcomes insights from business leaders and sector specialists. Get in touch with our editorial team to find out more.

_{Main image: The Orange Plague, Jens Galschiøt’s 23-carat gold-leaf sculpture depicting a naked Donald Trump sitting on the back of a frail man. Image based on a photograph supplied by Jens Galschiøt.}