Rotterdam's most controversial art is the Santa Claus on Eendrachtsplein, and in this city, that's saying something. The 2001-commissioned bronze-cast sculpture by American artist Paul McCarthy was meant for display on elegant Schouwburgplein, but it was eventually set here after locals expressed that it didn't resemble Santa holding a pine, but a dwarf with a sex toy.
The nickname "Buttplug Gnome" has stuck, an inside joke for the city (though, at €280,000, an expensive one). Also on Eendrachtsplein, a hotel named Unplugged has no relation, supposedly.