Paris Hilton sculpture shows heiress in deadly pose

Daniel Edwards' 'Paris Hilton Autopsy' is on display during the press preview at the Capla Kesting Fine Art gallery Wednesday, May 9, 2007 in New York. [AP]

Sculptor Daniel Edwards thinks Paris Hilton makes a fine subject -- as prom queen of the dead in what he says is a warning against drunken driving.

The artist has created a sculpture of the 26-year-old hotel heiress and socialite naked and dead, with cell phone in hand, legs spread and crowned with a tiara.

"The Paris Hilton Autopsy" is a statement about the dangers of drunk driving just as high school prom season rolls around, said Edwards, who also sculpted a giant head of Cuban President Fidel Castro and created a life-size nude of Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug.

Hilton pleaded no contest in January to alcohol-related reckless driving. On Friday, she was sentenced to 45 days in jail for violating her probation on that offense by driving on a suspended license.

"It's really kind of a wake-up call for anybody who really pays attention to Paris Hilton, close enough that they might end up emulating her," the Connecticut artist said.

The sculpture was to go on display Friday in Brooklyn.

On Wednesday, Hilton issued a statement through an attorney saying she was "ready to face the consequences of violating probation."

"No one is above the law. I surely am not," she said. "I do not expect to be treated better than anyone else who violated probation. However, my hope is that I will not be treated worse."

Hilton's lawyers have said she was singled out for especially harsh treatment by prosecutors because of her celebrity, and they have filed a notice of their intention to appeal the sentence.