European Parliament Displays Gilded Nude Trump Sculpture by Jens Galschiøt

Key facts

• The European Parliament in Strasbourg is temporarily displaying Jens Galschiøt's "The Orange Plague" (2025), a gilded nude statue of Donald Trump.
• The sculpture is made of copper and coated in 23-karat gold leaf, depicting Trump sitting on the shoulders of a scrawny man.
• Trump's figure holds a small scale of justice and a scepter-like golf club, with a golf ball shaped like a globe.
• Galschiøt said the work references Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes" (1837) and that Trump "believes the gold makes him great."
• The sculpture debuted in Belém, Brazil, at COP30 in November 2025 and has since traveled between Denmark and Germany.
• Danish MEP Per Clausen sponsored the temporary exhibition, which runs until Thursday, October 8, before moving to Anatolia, Turkey, for COP31.
• Galschiøt is known for works addressing global issues, including "Pillar of Shame" (1997), commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
• Previous nude Trump sculptures include an enormous effigy suspended near Las Vegas in 2024 and life-size sculptures in US cities including Union Square in 2016.