EU's controversial Entropa artwork unveiled in Prague

(PRAGUE) - An artwork marking the Czech European Union presidency that was displayed partly covered in Brussels after annoying member states has gone on show uncensored in Prague.

The controversial work dubbed Entropa by Czech sculptor David Cerny depicts stereotypes linked to EU countries such as France on strike, Italy with footballers holding strategically-placed footballs and Bulgaria as a squat toilet.

The last image drew loud protests from Bulgaria and had to be covered with black cloth, which has now been removed again.

Slovakia also protested against its image as a Hungarian sausage and Czech President Vaclav Klaus, whose eurosceptic and anti-green statements the artwork features too, slammed it as "dubious and offensive."

His predecessor Vaclav Havel said at the opening ceremony in Prague's private DOX gallery late Thursday that "to shock and to mystify is part of modern, postmodern and post-postmodern art."

Before installing Entropa in Brussels, Cerny misled the Czech government by saying he had created it with a team of artists from all EU countries, but then admitted making it himself.

"I will now unveil another mystification. Entropa was not made by David Cerny -- it was created by Jiri Paroubek and me in an effort to harm the government," added Havel.

Paroubek, head of the Czech Social Democrats, initiated the no confidence vote that toppled Mirek Topolanek's cabinet midway through the Czech EU presidency at end-March.

Cerny then decided to remove Entropa from the EU council building in Brussels in protest, well before the end of the presidency running to June 30.