La derniere demure de la reine Nefertiti 4

About La derniere demure de la reine Nefertiti 4

Sea blue ground with calligraphic, black, gestural lines articulate a conversation with overlaid paper collage -- a central red and black rectangle is flanked by strips of blue, red, white and yellow. In her work, Simonin has explored the theme of the female body and female mythology. This mixed media piece is called "the last 'hesitation' of the Queen Nefertiti" whose name translates as "a beautiful woman has come." A bust of this powerful Egyptian queen and wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten in the 14th century BC is one of the most recognizable symbols of ancient Egypt. It has been speculated that Nefertiti was elevated to the status of co-regent and began to dress herself as a man.

Francine Simonin has worked extensively on paper -- printmaking and collage -- but also canvas.

Simonin has won numerous awards and distinctions, including the Prix de la première Biennale Suisse Engraving in Geneva (1968), the Prix Loto-Québec in Montréal (1981), the Prix Irène Reymond (1986), the Prize of the Print at the Biennale of Drawing, Printmaking and Paper in Alma (1993), as well as the first prize of the 16th International of the Miniature Print of Cadaques in Spain (1996). In October 2004, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and the Fondation Monique and Robert Parizeau presented her with an award recognizing her exceptional contribution to the history of printmaking in Quèbec. The works of Francine Simonin are to be found in the collections of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec, the Geneva Museum, the National Library of Canada (Ottawa), the Council of Europe Art Bank Arts of Canada (Ottawa) as well as several private collections around the world.