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Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Denmark to remove 'ugly and pornographic' mermaid statue, reports say
A debate has erupted in Denmark over the fate of a mermaid statue that is to be removed from public view after being decried as 'ugly and pornographic' and 'a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like'. The Danish agency for palaces and culture is reportedly removing the 4x6 metre Den Store Havfrue (the Big Mermaid) from Dragør Fort, part of Copenhagen's former sea fortifications, because it does not align with the cultural heritage of the 1910 landmark. Mathias Kryger, the art critic for Danish paper Politiken, has branded the statue 'ugly and pornographic'. Sorine Gotfredsen, a priest and journalist, wrote in the newspaper Berlingske: 'Erecting a statue of a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like is unlikely to promote many women's acceptance of their own bodies.' She added: 'It's truly uplifting that many find the statue vulgar, unpoetic, and undesirable, because we're suffocating in overbearing bodies in public space.' The man behind the 14-tonne sculpture, Peter Bech, has said he does not understand the criticism, saying that the stone figure's breasts are simply 'of a proportional size' to its scale. The 4x6 metre Den Store Havfrue, aka the Big Mermaid, was designed by Peter Bech. Others have said the criticism reflects society's attitudes to women's bodies more generally — and not in a good way. For Aminata Corr Thrane, Berlingske's debate editor, the scrutiny of the mermaid's breasts was tantamount to body shaming. 'Do naked female breasts have to have a specific academic shape and size to be allowed to appear in public?' she wrote. Noting that the Big Mermaid was 'arguably a bit less naked' than her famed petite contemporary in bronze and granite, the Little Mermaid, Corr Thrane added: 'On the other hand, she has bigger breasts, and that's probably where the problem lies.' She added: 'Perhaps the two statues — the Big and the Little Mermaid — represent two sides of woman, and the eternal tug of war about what a real woman is. And perhaps even what a wrong woman is.' In 2006, the Big Mermaid was erected at Langelinie Pier in Copenhagen, near the Little Mermaid. But it was removed in 2018 after locals denounced it as 'the fake and vulgar mermaid'. The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, Denmark. File picture: ERIC BARADAT/AFP/Getty Images It was subsequently moved to Dragør Fort, until the Danish agency for palaces and culture intervened in March, requesting its removal. Dragør municipality has since reportedly declined Bech's offer of donating it as a gift. Helle Barth, chair of Dragør muncipality's climate, urban and business committee, told Berlingske that although it was a nice offer, 'it's just hard to fit in. It takes up a lot of space.' Mr Bech, who has said he made the statue in response to tourists' comments that the Little Mermaid — inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale — was too small, has said he is often told by people in Dragør that they love his sculpture. He is hoping to find a way to keep it in the town. The Danish agency for palaces and culture declined to comment. The Guardian
Euronews
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Denmark to axe Copenhagen's 'ugly and pornographic' mermaid statue
Plans to remove a statue of a mermaid in Denmark from a historical landmark have sparked debate, with the busty sculpture criticised as "ugly and pornographic". The granite 14-tonne Den Store Havfrue (the Big Mermaid) is to be removed from Dragør Fort, part of Copenhagen's old sea fortifications, according to local media. The Danish Palaces and Culture Agency reportedly made the decision because the statue does not "fit into the cultural-historical environment" of the 1910 landmark. Mathias Kryger, art critic for the Danish paper Politiken, told local media that the statue was "ugly and pornographic". Writing in the newspaper Berlingske, another journalist, Sørine Gotfredsen, said many people found the statue "vulgar, unpoetic and undesirable". However, the man who commissioned the statue, Peter Bech, said it was a boon for the Dragør area and attracted visitors. He described the criticism as "pure nonsense". "The mermaid has completely normal proportions in relation to her size. Of course the breasts are big on a big woman," Bech told Danish broadcaster TV 2 Kosmopol. Municipal politician Paw Karslund echoed that view. "I simply think the argument that the statue should be ugly and pornographic is too primitive," he told the outlet last week. "We shouldn't be so afraid of a pair of breasts." Bech has said he wants to find a way to keep the statue in the area, while Karslund has called for it to be moved to a permanent fixture in the nearby Tårnby Strandpark. The Big Mermaid was first installed at Langelinie Pier in Copenhagen, near the Little Mermaid, in 2006. But it was removed in 2018 and relocated to Dragør — some 15 kilometres south of the Danish capital — reportedly after criticism from local residents. The famed statue of Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid, one of Copenhagen's biggest tourist attractions, has repeatedly been vandalised in recent years. The mermaid has been blown off her perch, covered in paint and political slogans, and even beheaded. In 2023, the installation of a mermaid sculpture called Il Mare (The Sea) in the small fishing town of Monopoli in Italy's Puglia region drew criticism for being "too provocative".
