17/05/2026
In 2014, Paul McCarthy’s giant inflatable Tree appeared in Paris’s Place Vendôme—one of the city’s most formal historic squares.
Officially presented as an abstract Christmas tree, the 24-meter / 79-foot sculpture quickly became one of Paris’s most controversial public artworks. Its simplified green form sparked outrage, jokes, and a national debate about contemporary art in historic spaces.
The backlash escalated fast: McCarthy was assaulted, and vandals later cut the cables and power keeping the sculpture upright. Instead of being restored, Tree was removed—turning a temporary installation into one of the most talked-about art scandals of 21st-century Paris.
