The Danish Agency for Palaces and Culture has reportedly requested the removal of a large mermaid statue from Dragør Fort in Copenhagen, following criticism that it is 'ugly and pornographic' and 'a man’s hot dream of what a woman should look like'. The 14-tonne sculpture, titled Den Store Havfrue (the Big Mermaid), measures 4 by 6 metres.
Art critic Mathias Kryger of Politiken branded the statue 'ugly and pornographic', while priest and journalist Sorine Gotfredsen wrote in 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 that 'it’s truly uplifting that many find the statue vulgar, unpoetic, and undesirable, because we’re suffocating in overbearing bodies in public space.'
However, the sculptor, Peter Bech, defended his work, saying the stone figure’s breasts are 'of a proportional size' to its scale. Others argued that the criticism amounts to body shaming. Berlingske’s debate editor, Aminata Corr Thrane, questioned: 'Do naked female breasts have to have a specific academic shape and size to be allowed to appear in public?' She noted that the Big Mermaid is 'arguably a bit less naked' than the famous Little Mermaid statue but has larger breasts.
The Big Mermaid was originally erected at Langelinie Pier in Copenhagen in 2006, near the Little Mermaid, but was removed in 2018 after locals denounced it as 'the fake and vulgar mermaid'. It was then moved to Dragør Fort until the Agency for Palaces and Culture intervened in March 2024, requesting its removal. Dragør municipality has since declined Bech’s offer to donate the statue.
Helle Barth, chair of Dragør’s climate, urban and business committee, said the statue was 'hard to fit in' and 'takes up a lot of space'. Bech, who says he created the statue in response to tourists finding the Little Mermaid too small, is seeking a way to keep it in Dragør. The Danish Agency for Palaces and Culture declined to comment.
