Simone Boisecq (1922-2012) was a French sculptor born in Algiers, known for her non-figurative work combining influences from the primitive arts and modernity. Fascinated from childhood by North African, Brittany and Oceanic cultures, she developed a sculptural language inspired by plant, mythological and architectural forms, while incorporating an anthropomorphic and symbolic dimension. She moved to Paris after the Second World War and met Karl-Jean Longuet, to whom she married in 1949. Together they frequented major figures in modern art such as Picasso, Brancusi and Zadkine, as well as artists from the Nouvelle École de Paris such as Vieira da Silva, Étienne Hajdu and Roger Bissière. Boisecq exhibited at the Jeanne Bucher gallery and took part in the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles and the Salon de Mai. Her sculptures, described as ‘savage’ by the critic Henri-Pierre Roché, reflect a cultural synthesis and formal simplicity. Her iconic works include Totem (1957) and Soleil Césaire, a tribute to the poet Aimé Césaire. She also carried out public commissions such as Stèle sans âge III for the École nationale d'administration. Her works are held in several French museums, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, the Musée Unterlinden in Colmar and the Musée de Brest.

‘SB: I felt that primitive art contained what was essential, a feeling of elevation or openness to the world.

I never wanted to reproduce something that already existed.

It was Henri-Pierre Roché who coined the term ‘savage’ to describe my first objects.

Objects? They were already sculptures, forms in space.

I wasn't trying to define myself, I was exploding.

Above all, this highly symmetrical work evokes a presence that could be likened to idols or totemic figures from the same period.. 

Anne Longuet Marx