This wonderful rendition of a mermaid in granite and marble was created by Barcelona sculptor Antonio Cañete, and is located on the waterfront promenade at the Puerto Jose  Banús harbor on the west side of Marbella on the south coast of Spain, about 30 miles from Gibraltar.

Mermaid statue La Sirena Puerto Banus Marbella in Spain. Photo © by Chris Robertshaw.

Puerto Banús was created in the 1970’s and has become one of the key attractions in the Costa del Sol area, with 5 million visitors annually.   There are many works of art here.   With her location right on the beach walk promenade next to hundreds of yachts in the port, La Sirena has a prominent location in the sun and further enhances the natural beauty of the town and this area of Spain.

For more information and photos of this statue, see La Sirena de Puerto Banus.

The tritons and nereids in the fountains at Place de la Concorde have been there since 1840, in the center of Paris.

The two fountains were designed by Jacques Ignace Hittorff, who was commissioned by King Louis-Philippe in 1831 to design the entire Place de la Concorde after Egypt gifted a 230-ton obelisk to France. The project was finished in 1840, with the help of 12 sculptors. The central figures were created in cast-iron, whereas the 12 triton and mermaid statues (6 in each fountain) were cast in bronze.

Place de la Concorde is located right by the river Seine, and is the largest square in Paris, with a rich history. It was named Place de la Concorde in the hope of future peace and a cessation of guillotine beheadings.

The fountains were inspired partly by Piazza San Pietro and Piazza Navona in Rome, both of which have fountains on either side of a central obelisk.

See more photos and info here.

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:

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

This book commemorates the 100 year anniversary on August 23, 2013, of Copenhagen’s world-famous statue of The Little Mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale from 1836.   (Read more about the Little Mermaid Statue)

The story is known all over the world, both in the Disney version and in the original fairy tale version.

The statue of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen is an icon of Denmark and of copenhagen, visited by over a million people each year.  It is by far the most famous mermaid statue in the world, and there are official public art replicas of the statue in many countries.

This book is a new and exact translation of the original Danish story into contemporary English.   It includes historical photos and background information on the original author, the statue’s sponsor, the sculptor and the live model for the statue, and includes original illustrations.   Additionally it includes photos of the many replicas of the statue in surprising locations around the world.

The book is available in printed editions from the FriesenPress bookstore, from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and most book retailers.

Electronic versions are available for Kindle, kobo and Nook.

Some pages from the book:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More information here.

Ghirardelli Square is located in the historic Fisherman’s Wharf area of San Francisco.  The centerpiece of the square is Andrea’s Fountain with statues of turtles, large frogs, two mermaids and a mermaid child.

The fountain was created in 1968 by Ruth Asawa, and has a varying water feature – at times quiet, at other times gently spraying water and sometimes splashing water over all the fountain elements.

Asawa was instrumental in creating the San Francisco School of the Arts (renamed in tribute to her in 2010 to Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts). She passed away on August 5, 2013 at the age of 87.

The plaque close by the fountain states:

Then-owner William Roth selected Ruth Asawa, well known for her abstract, wowen-wire sculptures, to design and create the centerpiece fountain for Ghirardelli Square. Although it was unveiled amid some controversy in 1968, Asawa’s objective was to make a sculpture that could be enjoyed by everyone. She spent one year thinking about the design and another year sculpting it from a live model and casting it in bronze.

Although landscape architect Lawrence Halprin attacked Asawa’s design of a nursing mermaid seated on sea turtles for not being a “serious” work, Asawa’s intentions were clear: “For the old it would bring back the fantasy of their childhood, and for the young it would give them something to remember when they grow old!

I wanted to make something related to the sea…I thought of all the children, and maybe even some adults, who would stand by the seashore waiting for a turtle or a mermaid to appear. As you look at the sculpture you include the Bay view which was saved for all of us, and you wonder what lies below that surface.”

The most photographed feature of Ghirardelli Square, the fountain was named in honor of Andrea Jepson, the woman who served as the model for the mermaid.

See more at the Andrea’s Fountain page.

Crescent City lies on the coast in northern California just 10 miles or so south of the Oregon border. This is the area of Redwoods State Park and other parks with ancient and enormous Sequoia trees. It is also the area of the early pioneers of the art of chainsaw wood carving in the 1950s and 1960s.

The mermaid statue in Crescent City was created by chainsaw carving pioneer Ken Kaiser in 1994, and graces the Crescent City Harbor area.

Ken Kaiser made a name for himself in 1961 when he made 50 giant chainsaw carvings for the Trees of Mystery enterprise about 15 miles south of Crescent city. The art of chainsaw carving developed greatly in the 1960s and 1970s with many more people getting involved.

The mermaid statue in Crescent City is a fitting monument to both the city and the art of chainsaw wood carving.

More information and photos at the Crescent City Mermaid page.

The Russian mermaid statue at Soter Point in Ventura, California was donated by Alec & Tatyana Benke to the city of Ventura in 2009, and placed at Soter Point in collaboration with Samuel Povar and Andy Soter.

Alec Benke and his wife Tatyana emigrated from Kazakhstan to the United States and the mermaid statue is a symbol of their love for their new country.

The statue stands on a base created by Alec. With the base, the sculpture reaches more than 20 feet into the air.  The mermaid sculpture is meant to be a water fountain, but there is as of 2013 no water yet – although it is planned.

Soter Point is part of the Ventura harbor area, and Andy Soter dedicated time and funds to renovating and beautifying this area in memory of his daughter.

Samuel Povar has been actively involved in a number of public-private art collaborations in Ventura, and was instrumental in making this project possible.

The mermaid statue at Soter Point is rapidly becoming a major attraction for tourists and also gaining fame as an example of public-private collaboration in beautifying a city.

The plaque at the base of the sculpture reads:

Many thanks to Samuel Povar for details on this project, and to Sunny Oberto for many stunning photos.

See more photos at the Soter Point Mermaid page.

The Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen is 100 years old in August 23, 2013.

There will be traditional celebrations of her birthday on August 23rd in the afternoon and evening.  My wife and I are attending, and we would love to see you there as well, if possible.

Also, the Centennial Commemorative calendar is now printed and available.

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The calendars are printed on 13 sheets card stock, 8.5 x 11 inches, with spiral wire binding.

It has spectacular photos of the original Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen and 12 other copies of this statue all over the world, in locations such as Romania, China, Denmark, the United States, the Virgin Islands, Brazil and Spain.

Here are photos of the back and of the July page opened up.

The town of Cavalaire-sur-Mer on the French Riviera has a history reaching back to Phoenician times.   Today it is a busy beach town with a sizable harbor for all kinds of leisure sailing vessels.   A mermaid statue was unveiled here on July 4th 2013.  It is fitting in many ways, not least because the history or mythology of mermaids traces back to the Phoenicians and ancient Syrians and their goddess Atargatis, the earliest mermaid legend we know of.

She was sculpted by Amaryllis, and was placed here as part of the Amaryllis Art for Charity project, which aims to place about 100 of these statues in prominent and beautiful locations near water, with the goal of raising funds for local charities and promoting the message of this sculpture. The project was created by Thomas Noor, using the Ama statue created by Amaryllis.

There are unique touches to each of the statues, such as the patina chosen, the inscription with the name and the coordinates, and the item at at Ama’s feet, which often is a flower or a sea animal, or something representative of the location.

As to the message of the sculpture, I asked Amaryllis what the statue represents.   In her own words:

She left her underwater world to connect with mankind and alert us that we are damaging her environment.  She wants to explain that water is the cradle of life, the ultimate necessity to assure humanity’s own existence.  As she arrives on more and more shorelines, it is our belief that she will gain a louder voice and will help make the point that we must respect her home.

It is a great message.   It is a message of ocean conservation that is supported and furthered by many people involved with mermaids, whether as art, as a profession or as a city icon. 

See more photos and information on the Ama Cavalaire page.

You may have heard the story that Manatees are the original inspiration for mermaids.

In my opinion this doesn’t sound likely, but nonetheless, this is an awfully cute collection of manatees.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/chelseamarshall/mantees-living-proof-that-mermaids-are-real-and-beautiful