Born in 1912 in Poland, Michel Smajewski, known as Michel Sima, was a photographer and sculptor. At 17, he moved to Paris to study sculpture at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where he met Jean Cocteau and Francis Picabia, who introduced him to other artists he later photographed for press agencies. Through Gertrude Stein's literary circle, Sima met Picasso. Dividing his time between Paris and Vallauris, he exhibited with Picabia in Cannes in 1942, earning critical acclaim. Later that year, he was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where he survived until 1945. In 1946, Sima reunited with Picasso in Golfe-Juan, who encouraged him to return to photography. This led to a successful collaboration, resulting in Sima's first book, *Picasso à Antibes*, published in 1948. In the 1950s, Sima focused on artist portraits, cementing his reputation. In 1967, he moved with his family to Ardèche and resumed sculpting. Michel Sima died in 1987