Mishap
The Sculpture Everyone Insisted Wasn't a Christmas Tree
A festive intention, an unfestive silhouette, a cut cable
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Image: Unsplash
Incident ReportCOA / MISHAPS
Accidental Damage Rating
- Repair Cost
- Removed / not reinstalled
- Curator's Blood Pressure
- 85%
- Embarrassment Level
- 7/10
- Recovered?
- No
- Selfie Involved?
- No
Paul McCarthy's inflatable 'Tree' — widely compared to a sex toy — sparked outrage, an assault on the artist, and finally the cutting of its support cables, collapsing the work.
When McCarthy unveiled his towering green inflatable in Place Vendôme in 2014, many viewers saw something considerably less festive than the artist intended. Public outrage escalated into vandalism and even a physical assault on McCarthy himself.
Days later, unknown individuals cut the sculpture's support cables and it collapsed before it could be permanently removed. McCarthy maintained the work was simply a stylised Christmas tree. The public remained unconvinced.