'Man Meets the Sea' statues, Esbjerg, Denmark

December 1969 Issue

'Man Meets the Sea' statues, Esbjerg, Denmark

Nearly 22 years ago, in October 1995, a new attraction appeared in the coastal city of Esbjerg, Denmark, in the form of four huge statues. Referred to as 'Man Meets the Sea,' these 30-foot-tall, white-alabaster male figures were the subject of our May 2017 mystery photo.

Wanting the "men" to have a universal appeal, Danish artist Svend Wiig Hansen created them to look identical to each other, portraying them with neutral expressions. Their lower legs, with longer-than-normal proportions, were designed to resemble the columns of a Greek temple.

Located on a shoreline 2-1/2 miles west of Esbjerg, in southwestern Denmark, the sculptures were created in honor of the city's 100th anniversary (in 1994) as an independent municipality.

Twenty-three correct answers were submitted, and MARIA CUETO of Weehawken, New Jersey, won the drawing. We thank Richard Finerman of Palm Springs, California, for submitting the picture.

Correct answers were submitted by:

Nanci Alexander, Lexington, KY; Deepak Awasthi, Destrehan, LA; BJ Bjorklund, Frisco, TX; Luciana Boyle, Mesa, AZ; Michael Brandt, El Dorado Hills, CA; WINNER: Maria Cueto, Weehawken, NJ; Shari Draeger, Pine Island, MN; Edwin "Toby" Earl, Laguna Beach, CA; Signe Haugen, San Carlos, CA; Jane & Clyde Holt, Hinesburg, VT; Andrea Jones, San Francisco, CA; Karyn Kandell, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, JAPAN; Theodore Liebersfeld, Boynton Beach, FL; Ruth Niederuaer, Bakersfield, CA; Carol Peim, Hendersonville, NC; Donna Peterson, Patch Grove, WI; Raymond Prince, Maple Valley, WA; Marcia Ritter, St. Louis, MO; Mary Schmidt, Fairfax, VA; Christina Smith, New Braunfels, TX; Jill Sullivan, Waynesboro, VA; Charles Twine, Durham, NC; Jonathan van Bilsen, Port Perry, Ontario, CANADA.