Meet the artists | Simone Fattal

Video (4:50): Filmed in her Paris studio, this film follows artist and writer Simone Fattal. Simone Fattal was the partner of painter Edtel Adnan (1925-2021). Video by Art Basel, 2026.

Simone Fattal

‘Simone Fattal was born in Damascus and grew up in Lebanon. She first studied philosophy at the Ecole des Lettres of Beirut and then at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1969 she returned to Beirut and started painting. She participated in numerous shows during the ten years when life in Lebanon was still possible. In 1980, fleeing the Civil War, she settled in California and founded the Post-Apollo Press, a publishing house dedicated to innovative and experimental literary work. In 1988, she returned to artistic practice by doing ceramic sculptures after enrolling at the Art Institute of San Francisco. Since 2006, she has produced works in Hans Spinner’s prestigious workshop in Grasse, France. In 2013, she released a movie, Autoportrait, which has been shown worldwide in many film festivals.’ – the artist’s website.

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