Slideshow: the sculptures | Hoax sparks diplomatic spat

The Czech artist whose joke sculpture of the 27 European Union nations has caused a diplomatic row told The Times tonight that he was inspired by British satire typified by Monty Python to test whether the EU had a sense of humour.

David Cerny admitted that he had misled his own government, which commissioned him to make the 10 million Crown (£350,000) artwork as a showpiece of its presidency of the EU, by making it with his friends instead of artists from the 27 countries.

Mr Cerny, 41, added that he apologised to Bulgaria after its ambassador formally complained about its depiction as a toilet and he also strongly denied that Germany’s interlinked autobahns were made to look like a swastika, as some observers have suggested.

The artist, who has a long history of controversial projects, said that he planned to travel to Brussels tomorrow for the official launch in the atrium of the European Council after senior Czech officials agreed to go ahead despite the double embarrassment of Mr Cerny’s hoax and the complaints from other governments.

“I am seriously very pro-European,” Mr Cerny told The Times. “It would be a great pity if Europe would not be able to take this as a bit of satire and irony. If we are strong as Europe it should be OK for one nation to make fun of other nations.”

The project was given a boost by Mirek Topolanek, the Czech Prime Minister, when he said at the European Parliament in Strasbourg that he was looking forward to seeing the sculpture despite all the controversy. “I hope that when I get to Brussels it is still there and I well be able to see it, so I will know what everyone is laughing at and outraged by.”

But Betina Joteva, first secretary for the Bulgarian government office to the EU, insisted that the image of her country was removed. “I cannot accept to see a toilet on the map of my country. This is not the face of Bulgaria,” she said.

Slovakia was also understood to have complained about its depiction as a body tied up with rope said to represent Hungary, its neighbour and rival. British diplomats were said to be relaxed about the empty space on the giant sculpture intended to signify that the UK was absent from the EU.

Mr Cerny added: “Monty Python and Sacha Baron Cohen are probably the most exceptional examples of satiric politically-incorrect humour and maybe because the British have this sense of humour they are able to take the joke better than some other nations.

“Unfortunately for Bulgaria, this shows in a certain way that some nations have a sense of humour and some do not. I have apologised but when we were travelling to Bulgaria when I was young, the biggest difference for a child was the toilet, so that was the first thing that came to my mind.” He dismissed claims that he arranged the German autobahns in a swastika as “complete bullshit”, adding: “It is just about autobahns. Everybody knows what Germany looks like, they have autobahns everywhere.”

Mr Cerny said that he had not received the reported 10 million Crowns for the work and insisted that he was still out of pocket. He added that he did not know that the man who commissioned him, Alexandr Vondra, was his country’s deputy prime minister, although “I knew he was working on Europe”.

“I am not a politician and if they decide to take it down because of some political reason that would be quite sad, but what can I do?” he said.

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