Apple Girl
20"h x 18"w x 6"d

Michelle Muhlbaum, an Israeli born artist raised in New York has for years explored fairy tales from all over the world. Her interest in fairy tales began as an art student in Rome where she became as fascinated by the folklore of the culture as she was by the masterpieces around her. The Biennale Internazionale dell’arte Contemporanea brings the artist full circle to Italy where her inspiration began. For the biennale Michelle has created the assemblage “Apple Girl” based on the Florentine fairy tale by the same name. This piece, essentially about rebirth depicts a woman who bursts out of an apple in which she was born. It was the consequences of evil and good that brought her to life outside the apple. The artist draws on thirteenth century Italian alter pieces by Cimabue and Giotto while employing found objects to add a sense of history and time to the work.