Mermaid Statues as Public Art

In some situations an issue arises regarding the ‘propriety’ of mermaid statues as public art – whether they are family friendly or ‘decent’.

Since mermaids don’t wear clothes, excepting of course Disney mermaids, sculptors of fine art mermaid statues and sculptures almost always model them without clothes.

Occasionally there are concerns about this when a new statue is proposed.

Such statues are however very well received by the vast majority of people, children and adults alike. Most people see beauty, aesthetics, grace, elegance and fairy tale magic when they see a mermaid statue.

Here are a few examples of mermaid statues as public art which are respected, admired and appreciated by the communities in which they are located, and which help bring culture, business and visitors to their cities:

The Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen — The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen. visited by millions each year. It has been here for 100 years.
It is an icon of the city and of Denmark. Photo © by News Øresund – Johan Wessman.

Cleveland Mermaids — Fidardo Landi’s Mermaids Sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art has been here since 1929,
visible from the Museum grounds and from East Blvd.

Nerissa, Mermaid of Salt Spring Island — The Rotary Club’s 2001 Mermaid in Ganges, Salt Spring Island, Canada. Photo by Ruth Hartnup.

Mermaid Sculptures in Ghirardelli Square — Mermaids Fountain in Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco CA. Created in 1968 by Ruth Asawa, one of the
founders of the San Francisco School of the Arts. Photo © by Tyson Villanueva.

Oak Harbor Mermaid Sculpture — Mermaid Statue created by Larry Oliver in 2012 for the City of Oak Harbor,
Whidbey Island, Washington. Photo by Gerry Oliver.

Russian Mermaid at Soter Point — The ‘Russian’ Mermaid installed in 2009 at Soter Point in Ventura CA. Photo by Sunny Oberto.

Concho River — Pearl of the Concho Mermaid by Jayne Charless Beck installed in 1994. Photo by Jonathan Cutrer.

Pearl of the Concho Mermaid by Jayne Charless Beck installed in 1994. Photo by Jonathan Cutrer.

Ama du Cap Ferrat mermaid statue. — Ama mermaid statue in Cap Ferrat, France. Photo courtesy of Amaryllis.

Syrenka Mermaid Statue in Warsaw. — The Syrenka Mermaid Statue from 1855 in Warsaw, Poland is the icon of the city. Photo © by Hans Cornette.

There are of course many other examples – there are over 180 public art mermaid statues across the world, most of which are listed here.

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