A few days before the 90th Academy Awards, a golden statue of Harvey Weinstein has appeared near Dolby Theatre where the Oscars night will be hosted.
Weinstein’s sexual misconduct came to light on October 5, when actress Ashley Judd spoke of how she was accosted by him two decades ago. Over 70 women, including top actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman, Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie have accused the Hollywood mogul of sexual assault.
The installation shows Weinstein wearing a silk robe sitting on a gold couch clutching an Oscar statue. The artwork is created by the Los Angeles-based street artist Plastic Jesus and Joshua “Ginger” Monroe. It is called the ‘Casting Couch’.
The statue appeared at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, near the Dolby theatre where the 90th Academy Awards will be held on Monday (IST).
“Harvey Weinstein became an icon in the entertainment industry. His power and influence was almost without compare. However, whilst many thought the ‘casting couch’ was a thing of the past it was clearly still a part of the Hollywood culture,” wrote Plastic Jesus on his Instagram post.
Meanwhile, Weinstein Company which the Hollywood producer co-owned with his brother Bob Weinstein was sold to a female-led group, reported The BBC.
“Those principles have never wavered and have always been to build a movie studio led by a board of directors made up of a majority of independent women, save about 150 jobs, protect the small businesses who are owed money and create a victims’ compensation fund that would supplement existing insurance coverage for those who have been harmed,” said Maria Contreras-Sweet, who is leading the investor group that is paying $500m for the company’s assets, which include Films and TV programmes.
