The Paris-based Algerian sculptor Adel Abdessemed has cast Merkel in marble – a young, nude girl from East Germany, who at the time was a member of the Free German Youth movement.
She is part, on the left, of the three-person composition based on a retro photo, which dates back to Merkel’s early years. When the original picture was taken — of Merkel and her two female friends walking on a beach, all three widely smiling and careless — naturism was gaining popularity in East Germany.
READ MORE: Photo Master Builds in Giant Camera Into Russian Military Truck (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
In 2015, the picture was republished in Vanity Fair, during the electoral campaign when Merkel was running for a third term.
The "female camaraderie" marble work, which goes by the name “Beautiful” (2017-2018) will be displayed in the artist’s exhibition L'Antidote' in Lyon, southern France, from March 9 to July 8.