'The Little Match Girl'

The Little Match Girl by renowned Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) tells the poignant story of a poor girl who sells matches on the streets during a cold New Year’s Eve, ultimately ending in tragedy. The moral of the tale emphasizes compassion and empathy for the less fortunate.

Inaugurated in Greve, Denmark, in 2019, The Little Match Girl is Danish sculptor Jens Galschiøt’s contemporary interpretation of the 19th-century fairy tale. Crafted from copper, the sculpture depicts a 10-year-old girl holding a cell phone in one hand and matches in the other. Her eyes are closed as she sits on the ground with her knees drawn up, enveloped in a large cape. Evoking empathy from viewers, the art style could be described as somewhat sentimental.

In Andersen’s original tale and Galschiøt’s modern rendition, poverty, deprivation, and the desire for a better life are depicted. Andersen focuses on tangible poverty and material lacks, while Galschiøt emphasizes the absence of adult companionship and the spiritual void felt by children with busy parents. The matchsticks and the mobile phone represent both narratives, respectively, with the latter also symbolizing materialism and the misguided notion that possessions equate to caring for children.

The prototype for The Little Match Girl was created back in the mid-2000s (which explains why the cell phone appears dated), when 11 copies of the girl figure were temporarily exhibited in various Danish cities as part of a teachers’ union campaign.