Atlante of Cannes

She was created by French sculptor Amaryllis, who granted an interview about this sculpture.

“Atlante was placed in Cannes in the year 2000.  She is a mermaid who has come to us out of the sea at the turn of the century.  She considers the losses of the last century and looks into the new century.   She is strong and brave, and determined to face the coming storms and to help us undo the damage caused by the poisoning of the oceans and the senseless hunting that threatens many marine species.   She is the only sculpture to have been allowed in the waters of the port of Cannes.

“Like most of my mermaids she has legs, and is not the usual mermaid with a tail (or two).   She is out of the water and is adapted to this environment while she is here, but she still retains mermaid characteristics, such as the scales and vestigial fins, and attire that is clearly of the sea.

“She has been there for near 13 years now, alone on her rock.   I am considering whether I should add a dolphin companion.   In the late 1960′s a wild dolphin became famous for staying in the Cannes Harbor, and for a couple years was a sort of mascot for the city.   It would be nice to bring him back as a companion for Atlante.”

Artist

Amaryllis trained at the École des Beaux-Arts and dived with the free-diver Jacques Mayol, who introduced her to dolphins. Nearly all of her mermaids have legs, including the AMA series placed along coastlines around the world.

The 'Atlante' statue is lifesize ( 5' 10" ) and is located on her own large rock just off the end of the pier.  She is also referred to by locals as Amphitrite (Queen of the Seas and wife of Poseidon in Greek mythology).

Amphitrite and the Dolphin

In Greek myth, Amphitrite fled Poseidon's advances and hid with Atlas at the edge of the world. A dolphin found her and persuaded her to marry the sea god, and was rewarded with a place among the stars as the constellation Delphinus (Hyginus, Astronomica 2.17). The poet Oppian tells a darker version, in which the dolphins betray her hiding place and Poseidon carries her off against her will.

See also the other mermaid sculpture named Amphitrite on Grand Cayman Island.

Port Pierre-Canto

Atlante guards the entrance to Port Pierre-Canto, Cannes's second harbour. Local businessman Pierre Canto paid for its construction himself, and it was inaugurated on 19 July 1965 as the first private port in Europe, with Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco as its godparents. The City of Cannes took over its management in 2002.

Ocean Preservation

With her message of ocean and nature conservation, the 'Atlante' mermaid statue is part of a strong movement for preservation of our natural resources.