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Harvey Weinstein 'Casting Couch' statue unveiled ahead of the Oscars

The installation, by the artists who produced naked statues of Donald Trump in 2016, depicts Weinstein, clothed in a bathrobe and sitting on a golden couch.
/ Source: Reuters

LOS ANGELES — Harvey Weinstein won't be going to Sunday's Oscar ceremony, but the film producer's presence is still being felt in Hollywood.

Los Angeles-based street artist Plastic Jesus on Thursday unveiled a statue called "Casting Couch," depicting a life-size Weinstein, clothed in a bathrobe, sitting on a golden couch and holding an Oscar. It was installed near the Hollywood venue where the Academy Awards ceremony will be held.

More than 70 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Weinstein has denied having nonconsensual sex with anyone. His representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the installation.

Image: Harvey Weinstein statue in Los Angeles
A dog named 'Sassi' sits next to a golden statue of a bathrobe-clad Harvey Weinstein on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on Thursday.Damian Dovarganes / AP

"Whilst many thought the 'casting couch' was a thing of the past it was clearly still a part of the Hollywood culture," Plastic Jesus said in a statement on his Facebook page.

"Hopefully now in the light of recent allegations against many leading figures in Hollywood the industry will clean up it's (sic) act," he said.

Weinstein was one of the movie industry's most influential men, powering independent movies like "The King's Speech" and "Shakespeare in Love" to Oscar best picture wins.

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He was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last year and fired from his company, The Weinstein Co.

The "Casting Couch" statue followed the appearance in Los Angeles on Wednesday of billboards designed by street artist Sabo that accused the entertainment industry of staying silent about sexual misconduct.

Plastic Jesus said that the Weinstein statue was a collaboration with the artist Joshua "Ginger" Monroe and that it took two months to produce. It was paid for by donations through their websites.

Plastic Jesus and Ginger were also responsible for producing naked statues of Donald Trump that appeared in various cities in 2016, before he was elected president.