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Notice! This sculpture was moved to the corner of Steenzicht and Vrederust Avenue in May 2023 due to new housing construction.

Professor Jan Bronner has gone down in (art) history as the man who, in the first half of the 20th century, dedicated himself with heart and soul to training young sculptors. In contrast to his more classicist colleagues of the Amsterdam School, Bronner taught them modern principles.

The teenage statue that was placed on a lawn at the end of a row of newly built houses in 1966 underlines the fact that its creator, Jos van Riemsdijk, took the lessons of Bronner and his followers to heart. In 1965, Van Riemsdijk made this sculpture of a free-spirited teenage girl. Although the clothing now looks dated, it is clear that this teenager in her time had a bold and uninhibited attitude to the world. Her body posture is provocative. Come on if you dare!" is the message. The girl is wearing a loose-fitting dress. She stands self-assured, wide-legged and slightly hunched over, while holding her head cockily to one side and grabbing hold of her long hair with one hand.
Even in those days, Van Riemsdijk's figurative image was no longer innovative. But the teenager's headstrong, self-confident appearance makes the sculpture look contemporary.

Van Riemsdijk was born in Uccle, Belgium, and settled permanently in the Hague in 1937. After studying at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, she continued her education at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, where Jan Bronner was one of her teachers. Throughout her life, Van Riemsdijk retained a strong preference for figurative representations of children's figures and animals.