On the 29th of June 2021 a ceremony has been held for the donation of the painting from 1993 “Dirección Mujeres” by the Spanish painter Sofía Gandarias to the European Parliament’s Art Collection. The donator, Enrique Barón Crespo, Former President of the FMA from 2014 to 2018 and Former President of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1992 described the painting as “a beautiful portrait of Simone Veil, expressing the dignity of Europe and a testimony to the struggle for women’s emancipation, painted by her great friend Sofia Gandarias, my beloved wife“. He donated it through the FMA which according to Hans-Gert Pöttering “testifies to his strong ties with the FMA and his continuous commitment to supporting the Association’s defense of European values such as Human dignity, Individual freedoms, Democracy, Equality before the law and Rule of law”.
David Maria Sassoli, the current President of the European Parliament gave a thanking speech for this special occasion as well as Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the FMA and Former President of the European Parliament. During his speech he pointed out that “the principle of equality between women and men underpins all European policies and is the basis for European integration”.
The painting has also been used for the September Bulletin edition’s cover in 2017 in which the friendship between Sofía Gandarias and Simone Vieil is shown by a picture (see the picture on this page and in the Bulletin on page 2).
Simone Vieil wrote about her as an engaged artiste who “through her paintings […] tries to share her feelings” (Simone Veil. Paris. Décembre 2000).
During the ceremony of the donation
During the ceremony of the donation
Sofia Gandarías and Simone Veil