Overview

• The Danish Agency for Palaces and Culture is set to remove the 4×6 metre, 14-tonne Den Store Havfrue from Dragør Fort after ruling it incompatible with the landmark’s cultural-historical environment.
• Dragør Municipality declined artist Peter Bech’s offer to donate the statue, citing spatial constraints and questions over its fit in the fort grounds.
• Bech has received a private buyer’s proposal and is backing a citizen-driven initiative to secure a new local site for the mermaid.
• Cultural critics such as Mikkel Kryger and Sorine Gotfredsen have denounced the work as “ugly,” “pornographic,” and a “man’s hot dream,” while Aminata Corr Thrane framed scrutiny of its breasts as body-shaming.
• Supporters, including Bech and Fort owner Torben Bodtker, argue the sculpture’s proportions are appropriate, noting its draw for visitors and its role in broadening female representation in public art.