The Academy of Arts awarded the 15,000 euro prize in rotation with its six sections on behalf of the State of Berlin.
Together with Monica Bonvicini and Karin Sander, Wolfgang Tillmans formed the jury for the Grand Art Prize. He writes about the award winner: “Simone Fattal once stated: 'Every person must embark on his or her own journey to knowledge and then make a decision.' She not only embarked on this journey herself, but invites us all to join her to accompany her in her exploration of inner-human balance and the balance between the tangible and the imaginable. Her practice bears witness to the enduring power of storytelling and the ability of creativity to champion humanity and community. What characterizes Fattal is a profound humanism, an urgent call to engage with the present through history and with history through the present.”
Simone Fattal, born in Damascus in 1942, grew up in Lebanon. As a student and artist, she travelled over the world, first studying at the École des Lettres in Beirut and at the Sorbonne in Paris, then working in California, Marrakech, Doha, London and Zurich. Today she lives and works in Paris.