"Ugly and pornographic": Danish authorities to remove "Great Mermaid" statue in Copenhagen suburb
Kyiv • UNN
The Danish Agency for Palaces and Culture demanded the removal of the 14-ton "Great Mermaid" statue from Dragør Fort. The sculpture, conceived by restaurateur Peter Bech, drew criticism for its "large breasts" and "vulgarity," although the artist and a local politician deny these accusations.
The Danish Agency for Palaces and Culture demanded the removal of the "Great Mermaid" sculpture from Dragør Fort in the Copenhagen suburbs, where old naval fortifications built in 1910 are located. The agency stated that the 14-ton statue with large breasts "does not fit into the cultural and historical environment." This is reported by Euronews, writes UNN.
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The sculpture, whose image was conceived by Danish restaurateur Peter Bech, was first installed on the Langelinie promenade — near the famous "Little Mermaid." But after several years of criticism from local residents, in 2018, the "Great Mermaid" was moved to Dragør Fort — approximately 15 km southeast of Copenhagen. Now, there are plans to remove it from there as well.
Debates surrounding the sculpture recently flared up again. For instance, art critic Mathias Krüger of the Danish newspaper Politiken called the statue "ugly and pornographic," while journalist and priest Sørine Gotfredsen wrote in the newspaper Berlingske that many consider the mermaid "vulgar, unpoetic, and undesirable."
The existence of a statue that embodies a hot male fantasy of what a woman should look like is unlikely to help women accept their own bodies
At the same time, the author of the idea and commissioner of the statue, Peter Bech, called the criticism "complete nonsense." According to him, he created the "Great Mermaid" because he often heard that tourists considered the original "Little Mermaid" too small.
"The mermaid has perfectly normal proportions for her size. Of course, a large woman has large breasts," he said in an interview with the Danish TV channel TV 2 Kosmopol, adding that the sculpture has benefited the area by attracting visitors.
He was supported by local politician Pau Karlslund:
"The argument that the statue is supposedly ugly and pornographic is too simplistic. We shouldn't be so afraid of a pair of breasts."
Karlslund suggested moving the sculpture to a park in the neighboring town of Tårnby, while Peter Bech expressed a desire to find a way to keep the statue in Dragør.
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