''The Siren'' is a sculpture by Norman J. Gitzen, which was formerly displayed in

Wellington, Florida Wellington is a village just west of West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County and north of Miami. As of 2019, the city had a population of 65,398 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, making it the most populous village in the state. It is the ...

. It consists of a 3-metre tall hand-pounded

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

and

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

depiction of a

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...

with webbed hands and unusually large

breast The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secret ...

s. It was part of the village's public art program, which involved 21 artists loaning art work to be displayed in public places. Originally placed outside Wellington Community Centre, it caused controversy after some complaints about the nudity of the statue. The artist later added

nipple The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in females, milk leaves the breast through the lactiferous ducts to feed an infant. The milk can flow through the nipple passively or it can be ejected by smooth mu ...

s to the sculpture's breasts. The statue featured on CNN, NPR and ''

A Current Affair ''A Current Affair'' may refer to: * ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV program), 1971–present Australian current affairs program that airs on Nine Network * ''A Current Affair'' (American TV program), a 1986–1998 American television news ...

'', and was included in a summary of 2005 news stories in ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

''. As of 2022, it remains in Gitzen's possession, and is displayed by him at public events and shows.

References

Outdoor sculptures in Florida Buildings and structures in Palm Beach County, Florida 2005 sculptures Steel sculptures in Florida Bronze sculptures in Florida Wellington, Florida 2005 establishments in Florida {{US-sculpture-stub