Sculptor believes his fat Lady Justice ended up at bottom of Langelinie harbour due to vandalism

An 800-kilo sculpture created by artist Jens Galschiøt temporarily vanished on Wednesday from its place at Langelinie harbour next to the famed Little Mermaid.

But the work – which represents the hypocrisy of the climate debate by showing a fat Lady Justice sitting on a poor, skinny African man – had actually sunk to the bottom of the harbour.

Galschiøt got a call on Tuesday informing him that his sculpture was sinking, and the following day it was nowhere to be seen.

The artist had first jumped into the harbour on Wednesday and attempted to locate it himself. But when that failed he hired a crane, scoured the sea bed and eventually found the statue, hauling it out of the water.

Galschiøt, who has now reset the sculpture in the harbour, believes the work was vandalised.

‘It was still standing after the big storm the other night, so someone must have tied a rope around it from a boat and pulled it down,’ he told public broadcaster DR. ‘But I’m just glad I found it again.’

Galschiøt said he realised many believed putting the statue next to the Little Mermaid was provocative, but added that it would only be there for a month.