Naked Donald Trump statue up for auction, could fetch $27,000

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Satirical statue of presidential hopeful Donald Trump to be sold at auction with the work expected to fetch between US$10,000 and US$20,000 at upcoming Julien's Auctions sale in Los Angeles.
A naked Donald Trump statue gets the attention of passersby in Los Angeles, California, on Aug 18, 2016. PHOTO: EPA

LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - A life-sized nude statue of US Republican presidential contender Donald Trump is going up for auction, with profits from the sale going to an immigrant support group.

Julien's Auctions said on Wednesday (Aug 31) that the statue, called "The Emperor Has No Balls," is expected to fetch US$10,000 to US$20,000 (S$13,600 to S$27,300) at the Oct 22 auction in Los Angeles.

The statue is one of a series that appeared unannounced in public spaces in New York and four other US cities earlier in August.

The orange-tinted likeness showed Trump with a massive belly, small fingers and some missing genitals.

Most were confiscated or destroyed by local authorities and the Los Angeles statue is the only one remaining, Julien's said.

The statues were created by an anonymous artists collective called INDECLINE. A portion of the auction profits will go to the National Immigration Forum, which campaigns for the rights of immigrants.

Trump has pledged to build a wall between the US and Mexico to keep immigrants out and to deport the millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, should he be elected. He is due to give a speech on Wednesday as he seeks to find a balance in his immigration stance.

Trump is not the only politician to be represented in the October auction of street and contemporary art. American pop artist Knowledge Bennett's "Hillary Clinton Cojones," featuring the Democratic White House hopeful wearing a tuxedo, is expected to fetch up to US$15,000, Julien's said.

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