Artist Paul McCarthy Prepared to Fight Back After Vandalized Exhibition

Artist Paul McCarthy has been the butt of backlash after his giant green sculpture resembling a sex toy was vandalized in Paris last week.

Vandals deflated the sculpture in the Place Vendôme amid protests from conservative groups, and one man even slapped the artist.

A spokesperson for the Paris Mint, Guillaume Robic, said: "Mr. McCarthy was sad and shocked by the violent reaction to his tree sculpture. But he is excited for his new exhibit, which will be a cross between a dream and a nightmare."

Robic said the mint was prepared to defend Mr. McCarthy, citing, "For 200 years we have been fabricating money, gold and silver pieces. So security is something we know how to handle."

Read the story in the New York Times here.

Paul McCarthy was born in 1945 in Salt Lake City. He lives and works in Los Angeles. Since 1982, on the invitation of Chris Burden, he has taught at the University of California, Los Angeles.

He has exhibited in the world's most prestigious museums including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) (2000), Tate Modern, London (2003), Haus der Kunst, Munich (2005), Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2008), Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2006), Whitechapel Gallery, London (2005), Hamburger Bahnhof Museum, Berlin (2008), Punta della Dogana, Venice (2009), and Trussardi

Foundation, Milan (2010). More recently and memorably his work has featured in exhibitions at the Armory Show, New York (2013), Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin (2013) and Portikus, Frankfurt (2014).

McCarthy is an active contributor to the contemporary art scene. He has taken part in the Venice Biennale on five occasions (in 2012, 2001, 1999, 1995 and 1993), in the Whitney Biennale in New York on three occasions (in 2004, 1997 and 1995), and in the Lyon Biennale (2003), Berlin Biennale (2006), and Sydney Biennale (in 2010 and 2000).