American's "Sex Toy" Sculpture Vandalized in Paris

There is an art fair going on in Paris at Place Vendome and one of the artists, Paul McCarthy, created a nice sculpture for the event. Paul, who lives and works out of Los Angeles, is rather infamous for creating ususually large objects, usually of a sexual nature, for display to the public. So, he created an 80-foot-tall inflatable sculpture that resembles, many say, a large green butt plug.

The sculpture seems to have caused a bit of controversy among Parisians who walk by. Within two days, the piece was deflated by vandals. McCarthy told the press that he didn't want his masterpiece to be repaired or replaced, that it was only intended as a joke in the first place.

Meanwhile, the French Minister of Culture called the vandalism, "an attack on the principle of artistic freedom," and the art fair said they'd fix the deflated sculpture as soon as it could. McCarthy also told a newspaper that he had been attacked by a man who told him that the sculpture didn't belong on the street.

McCarthy says his work, entitled "Tree," was an "abstract work" based on a joke about a sex toy and that it was also inspired by a Christmas tree.

The mayor of Paris, Ms. Anne Hidalgo, described the attack as "unacceptable," and she also denounced the attack on McCarthy. "Paris will not succumb to the threats of those who, by attacking an artist or a work, are attacking artistic freedom," she said. "Art has its place in our streets and nobody will be able to chase it away."