Simone Fattal

Ancient and contemporary Middle Eastern histories fuse in Fattal's sculpture and collage

Influenced by her experiences of war and migration, Paris-based Syrian-American artist Simone Fattal (born 1942) has transcended boundaries like few other artists of her generation. Born in Damascus, she grew up in Lebanon. After studying philosophy at the École des Lettres in Beirut and the Sorbonne in Paris, she returned to Beirut in 1969 and began to paint. In 1980 she fled the civil war and settled in California with her lifelong partner, the artist and poet Etel Adnan.
Fattal's collages combine pieces from her private archive with historical events in the Arab world. These works suggest the fragility of an identity shaped by migration. Her more abstract ceramic sculptures reference ancient myths and archaeological finds.
Combining essays by long-time associates and new scholarly contributions from international authors, this first comprehensive monograph focuses on Simone Fattal’s role as an artist and as a publisher of Post-Apollo Press.