Overview

• Authorities from the Danish Agency for Palaces and Culture dismantled the four-metre, 14-ton mermaid this week following a formal decision in early August.
• Peter Bech offered to donate the work to Dragør municipality, but council officials rejected it over concerns about its scale and fit in the urban landscape.
• The sculpture was first installed at Copenhagen’s Langelinie pier in 2006 and was moved to Fort Dragør in 2018 amid backlash over its figure.
• Art critic Mathias Kryger labeled the piece “ugly and pornographic,” while supporters argue that objections stem from societal discomfort with realistic representations of female bodies.
• The agency has not released any statements about where the statue will be relocated or stored next.