Is she about to take a bite? That’s the question many ask when they first see the Mädschen mit Apfel Sculpture. Here in Nibelungenpark stands a bronze statue of a girl. She reclines casually with an apple in her hand. This is the Mädschen mit Apfel.
The Mädschen mit Apfel, or Girl with Apple, is a captivating sculpture by Christa Sammler. It was created in 1961. The barefoot young woman wears a light summer dress. She props herself up on the ground with her right arm. Her left knee is slightly raised and her feet are loosely crossed.
Christa Sammler was commissioned to create a statue for a school. The statue was intended for a school in the Rüdigerstraße. The commission came from the Advisory Board for Visual Arts of the City of Berlin. This was part of a plan to provide the new housing areas of the capital with artistic features.
The Mädschen mit Apfel was first exhibited in 1962. It was part of the 6th District Exhibition “Berliner Kunstschaffen”. This took place in the Pavillon der Kunst. The sculpture helped Christa Sammler gain recognition. It was her first large-scale work presented to the public.
Heinz Lüdecke, an art critic, praised the Mädschen mit Apfel. He highlighted the successful synthesis of Sammler’s talent and Seitz’s influence. He noted the strong construction of the human body and the love for life. He also noted the joy in the concrete and a quiet, mischievous cheerfulness.
Over the years, the Mädschen mit Apfel has been featured in numerous exhibitions. These include the V. Deutsche Kunstausstellung in Dresden. Others are Plastik im Park in Gera, and the Freiplastikausstellung Rostock. It remains one of Christa Sammler’s major works.
The Lichtenberg Mädschen mit Apfel was originally placed in front of the Joseph-Orlopp-Oberschule. This was at Rüdigerstraße 76. It stood on a approximately one-meter-high plinth. In 2005, when a new school building was constructed, the statue was moved. It was relocated to a lawn at Rüdigerstraße near the corner of Hagenstraße. There, it rested on a flat plinth.
In 2010, the sculpture found its current home in Nibelungenpark. The park was newly created on the former school grounds. Here, the Mädschen mit Apfel sits almost at ground level. It is placed on a flat base.
Other casts of the Mädschen mit Apfel exist. You can find them in the Skulpturensammlung Dresden. Others are in the Park der Jugend in Gera. Also, in the Erfurter egapark in the Liliengarten. And in Güstrow, in the permanent exhibition “Plastik im Freien”. This is at the Gertrudenfriedhof.
The Mädschen mit Apfel is a bronze figure. The plinth is made of concrete. The statue measures 1.5 meters in width, 1.18 meters in height and 0.75 meters in length. The base has a height of 0.115 meters. The Mädschen mit Apfel captures a moment of youthful contemplation. It invites viewers to appreciate the simple pleasures of life.