Sophie Simonet
ABOUT THE ARTIST
After a master's degree in chemistry, Sophie joined a property company to develop and manage the commercial planning department. This gave her the opportunity to work on a number of projects, including the Carrousel du Louvre gallery, while at the same time putting her management skills to the test.
At the age of 30, she set up her first company in the same field. A little later, 10 years later, she sold the same company to Bouygues. Then a mother of four, she set up two new businesses, one in consultancy and the other in commercial urban development. At the age of 50, the sale of her companies enabled her to devote herself body and soul to art. She currently lives and works in Paris. Her commitment to painting and creation is total.
She puts all her energy and curiosity into her work. She first trained with naval painters to master academic techniques. She then experimented with a range of media, most recently lithography. She disseminates her work by taking part in or organising group exhibitions, showing her work in films and series, publishing booklets and taking part in the Cercle de l'art.
She is actively involved in La Source, an association set up by painter and sculptor Gérard Garouste, which uses art to help children in difficulty. She has developed private sponsorship and run a number of art workshops. She is currently involved in the Cercle de l'Art as a patron, and often organises residencies in Cassis.
The woman's body, dressed, adorned and decorated, is a theatre that stages fashions, religions and addictions such as drugs and alcohol....The gaze often detaches itself from these staged scenes to convey its sincere emotion. It reflects the soul that inhabits this body.
In the women I am presenting in this exhibition, I have sought the contrast between the depth of their souls in their moved or thoughtful looks, and the superficiality of their finery which, in excess, become their shackles and mark the loss of their freedom.
Sophie Simonet
"This new Portrait de Chaussure exhibition, alongside the Chamberlan designers, is very motivating. It's not just a pleasure to be reunited with "the group of 14 women" and the Quatre Couleurs association, it's also an opportunity to create a real dialogue between a craft creation and a work of art, with involved and innovative designers. Added to this is the model of the stiletto heel shoe, which inspires me as much with freedom and femininity as it does with fragility and weakness...".
