There are two separate concrete sculptures, each with two mermaids, in Bologna’s Montagnola Park. They were created in 1888 by local artist Diego Sarti, for the 1888 National Art Exhibition.
You can find many more photos and more information on the page I created for these sculptures here.
The Fountain of Neptune (Fontana di Nettuno) in Bologna dates back to 1565, and was created by Jean de Boulogne, also known as Giambologna. It was a controversial artwork when it was created, and still raises eyebrows even today.
The fountain, also known as “The Giant” is located exactly in the ancient center of the city, at the intersection of the 2 main roads in the city in Roman times.
The entire sculpture was created in bronze and stone in the years 1563 to 1567 by Flemish-born sculptor Giambologna. It was commissioned in celebration of Pope Pius IV by the Pope’s nephew Charles Borromeo.
See this page for more photos and more data on this fountain and its four lactating mermaids.
A fabulous sculpture, Der Seltene Fang (The Rare Catch) by Ernst Herter, is found in Berlin’s Viktoriapark. It depicts a fisherman struggling to keep hold of a twin-tailed mermaid caught in his net.
Berlin’s Viktoriapark was opened in 1894, and features a large manmade waterfall (Kreutzberger Wasserfall) and several ponds, statues, sculptures and monuments.
While most of Viktoriapark is at higher elevation, this pond and the statue are at street level, near the bottom of the waterfall.
Ernst Herter also created the Lorelei Fountain in The Bronx in New York, as a memorial to German poet Heinrich Heine.
For more photos and information, visit the page for the Viktoriapark mermaid here.
The little Malente Mermaid sits on a rock just a few feet from a lakeside trail by the Dieksee Lake in northern Germany.
She is a casual and carefree water sprite, playing with her hair while getting some sun.
More details and pictures on the new page dedicated to this mermaid here.
Opposite the famous Széchenyi Thermal Baths in Budapest is the “Sellők díszkút” (mermaid fountain), created in 1978 by artists Jenő Kerényi and István Szabó.
See more details and many more images at the full page for this fountain of mermaids, here.
News arrived just today of another mermaid sculpture – this time on Corsica, in the commercial harbor of Bastia.
This mermaid sculpture was created by the Italian-French sculptor Gabriel Diana in 2002.
The mermaid is made in bronze, and is seated on a rock of raw marble, between two large propeller blades (from a propeller whose third blade was damaged in this harbor).
In a sense the mermaid is like the pearl in a half open oyster. The sculpture is just over 8′ tall.
She is a sister sculpture to the mermaid in Ile Rousse.
For all the details and more images, see the page here.
After spending a fabulous morning in Monaco and Èze, we just happened to spot this completely unexpected sculpture of a mermaid mother with her child as we were driving home along the coast.
Located by the marina in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, the sculpture was created in 1997 by Natasha Jusopov, who also sculpted the Lorelei statue in Germany and the Lake Geneva mermaid statue in 1965.
See more at the page for these sculptures.
An unusual mermaid is found in Majus Park on the Hajógyári Island, located in the Danube River as it cuts through the city of Budapest.
The statue was reportedly created in 1982 by Szabó Gábor. Like the mermaid in Warsaw, this mermaid holds a shield, possibly an indication of a similar legend of the city having a mermaid protector.
See more at the page for these sculptures.
The Rockefeller Center in New York City has an immense amount of art and sculptures. Rockefeller Plaza is just one section of the overall Center, but is rich in art on its own, including the very famous Prometheus sculpture by sculptor Paul Manship, which is probably the best known and most photographed sculpture in New York City.
In the center of the Plaza are the beautiful Channel Gardens framing six fountain basins, each of which has a triton or mermaid interacting with a sea creature.
These fountainhead sculptures were created in 1935 by Rene Paul Chambellan, and represent the qualities and concepts of Leadership, Will, Thought, Imagination, Energy and Alertness.
Chambellan was also the sculptor of the large Atlas sculpture (in front of Rockefeller Center) in 1937, based on a drawing by artist Lee Lawrie.
This mermaid riding the shark-like creature, represents Thought.
The mermaid sculpture “Will”, riding a large fish and appearing to be steering the fish with her right hand, represents Will.
See more at the page for these sculptures.
In the Bay of Obama (inside Wasaka Bay in the Sea of Japan) you will find Mermaid Beach on the edge of the city of Obama.
Two mermaid statues are found here, commemorating both national and local legends.
They were installed in April 1976 as part of an upgrade and renovation of this area. The inscription states:
Mermaid Statue: The mermaid legend has long been told in Obama because sirens (dugongs/manatees) from the south sea came here often, following the Kuroshio Current from the south to Wakasa Bay here on the edge of the Sea of Japan. In the legend of Yao Bikuni (or Yao-hime), the woman retained her youth and lived to be 800 years old. The statue was built in this peaceful and beautiful town with the hope of being a utopia of relaxation and longevity. The Kūinji Temple is 400 meters south of here and at the foot of the mountains is a sacred cave where Yao Bikuni was said to live, keeping the legend alive in this area. – Obama City
The Yao Bikuni legend exists in several parts of Japan, and tells of a young girl afraid of growing old.
She eats a small bite of mermaid flesh and as a result lives for 800 years with endless youth and beauty.
She suffers however from the losses of lovers she outlives, and guilt at having eaten mermaid flesh.
When one day she meets a mermaid again she begs forgiveness and is allowed to grow old and eventually die like the rest of us.
See more photos and details at the Obama Mermaids page.