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1979 to 1982 was a period in which Lichtenstein created large-scale sculptures as derivatives of earlier smaller works.  However, The Mermaid, which was his first large-scale sculpture, was uniquely created for this commission. He was commissioned to produce Mermaid in 1979 for the Theater of the Performing Arts. The original $100,000 commission included a $50,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant and dollar for dollar matching by art aficionados. It is the second public art piece in the city of Miami Beach. Although Lichtenstein produced a mural for Expo '67 in Montreal, this was his first public art commission according to some sources. Other sources claim that his New York State Pavilion mural at the Worlds Fair was commissioned.Like almost all 20 of his sculptures produced up to 1980, this "...began as a line drawing, in elevation; proceeded to full-scale blacktape layout; and then to a magna-painted, handcrafted wooden maquette, which established the mold for the casting...in bronze by lost-wax process." Several stages of development (sketches, drawings, collages and maquettes) are readily available on the Lichtenstein Foundation website. The reclining mermaid rests atop whitecapped blue waves adjacent to a palm tree. In contrast to the otherwise serene tropical setting, Licthenstein includes grey steel clouds. His commentary on this work located in Miami Beach is to emphasize the "absurdity of creating sculptures from such painterly forms." Subsequent works expanded on "painterly sculpture".The work continued his 1970s sculptural theme of depicting ephemeral events in physical form with the inclusion of rays of sunlight upon the Mermaid's body. At the time, large-scale public art was something new to Lichtenstein. The work was regarded as an extension of his painting into public form rather than as an attempt to produce sculptural artwork. Incorporating a palm tree and a water-filled pool, Mermaid is regarded as "dazzlingly silly and provocative".
Miami Beach National Endowment for the Arts palm tree commission public art maquette mural Expo '67