The giant inflatable butt plug placed in front of the Place Vendome in Paris as part of an ongoing art fair this month was slashed and deflated by vandals early this morning, a measly two days after it was unveiled.
The giant sculpture was called Tree and was officially a “tree.” However Paul McCarthy, the American artist who created it, is “known for artworks corrupting innocent symbols of youth, from Disney to Hollywood” and has a body of work that includes a giant pile of crap in Hong Kong and a giant gnome holding a butt plug in Rotterdam.
Though it’s unclear who vandalized Tree, police say it was “an unidentified group of people” who “cut the cables which were holding the artwork, which caused it to collapse” when security guards were not looking.
They say FIAC, the art fair managing the piece, decided to fully deflate it to prevent further damage and intend to inflate it again once necessary repairs are made.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Artist converts huge buttplug into huge condom in Paris square. pic.twitter.com/kacXI2QIy3
— beaubodor (@beaubodor) October 18, 2014
h/t Gawker
Billy Budd
It was too good to be true. Could not last.
T101
I’m glad – that thing was profane… if I had kids I’d be pissed off had they seen this.
Cobalt Blue
So gooooood! It was a shame. A pity the ‘ artist ‘ wasn’t linch.
Sammy Schlipshit
@T101:
Dude…or dudette as the case may be,
If you had kids who recognized that as a butt plug, well, your problems started well before they ever saw that.
No kid I know of has any idea of what the heck a butt plug is….and probably most adults too.
You need to get out into the world a lot more….
SteveDenver
@T101: Why would you be pissed off if your kids saw it? You would tell them it was a Christmas tree and they would believe you.
SportGuy
That sucks, it was awesome! Hope they put it back up, maybe make it out of solid material.
aliengod
@T101: I have to agree with you. This wasn’t appropriate and I’m glad it’s gone.
Gothrykke
I thought it was funny when it was put up. I think it’s funny now that it’s deflated. What next in the saga of the christmas tree butt plug? How can we use it to offend more prudes?
lykeitiz
How does this idiot keep getting his “work” shown in high profile places? Of course he’s American. We give the world Kardashian’s and this.
Bob LaBlah
And here I thought that the pic was photoshopped. Oh well, I was proven wrong. I do feel sorry for the artist, whom I personally find it hard to believe did not anticipate something like this happening. In Russia troops would have opened up with AK-47’s right in front of a crowd, people getting hit be damned.
Chris
It looks like Nickelodeon just cleaned out its slime machine.
jd2222248
OMG! 🙂
Sansacro
@Sammy Schlipshit: Lol. Totally. People need to get a grip.
Sammy Schlipshit
@Sansacro:
Thanks.
I pity all those folks who see nothing but evil nastiness in nearly everything and every one.
How sad that when some people see others having a good time it affects them in a way that serves to disrupt.
To me, religion (all of them) and conservative, extreme right wing believers must just live each and every day in anger, frustration and sadness.
Sure glad I love being happy while spreading the joy to all encountered…most days.
Sansacro
@aliengod: Clutch my pearls! A big green inflatable! If I were a kid, I’d think it looked like something out of Dr. Zeus, or an xmas tree. In fact, that’s exactly what it brought to my mind.
Sammy Schlipshit
@Sansacro:
….oh yeah, I forgot that those folks I described in above post also live their days dealing with one of the biggest plagues perpetuated in this country….fear.
TV, movies, politicians, corporations, religion, terrorists, bigots…all survive on creating fear among the masses. It’s all about controlling the messages.
They’ve won.
Fear of anyone different than them….skin color, economic level.
Fear of change.
Fear of new ideas.
Fear of positive progress.
Fear of the government…this one I kinda agree with.
Fear of liberals.
…and most recently, losing their minds over fear of ebola.