After Melania cake, Melania honey, and even Melania slippers, the Slovenian hometown of the US first lady will now boast a statue of its most famous daughter - albeit one that has faced decidedly mixed reviews.

The life-size statue on the outskirts of Sevnica was inaugurated on Friday and is the brainchild of 39-year-old American conceptual artist Brad Downey, who says it's the first monument anywhere dedicated to the wife of US President Donald Trump.

The sculpture was carved into a tree using a chainsaw and depicts Melania in a blue dress, emulating a pose she struck at her husband's 2017 inauguration.

Its somewhat naive style has led some critics on social media to brand it a "scarecrow."

"I can understand why people might think that this falls short as a description of her physical appearance," Downey told AFP, but insisted that he found the end result "absolutely beautiful."