Simone Del Duca (18 July 1912 – 16 May 2004) was a French businesswoman, a member of the

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

, and major

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. Married to French publishing magnate

Cino Del Duca Cino Del Duca (25 July 1899 – 24 May 1967) was an Italian-born businessman film producer and philanthropist who moved to France in 1923 where he made a fortune in the French publishing business. Biography Cino Del Duca Born in Montedinove in t ...

, on his death in 1967 she was left with a considerable fortune. Although she remained on the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of her late husband's companies, Simone Del Duca devoted a great deal of her time to philanthropic causes. In 1969 she established a prestigious

literary prize A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded Literature, literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ...

in her husband's name. The

Prix mondial Cino Del Duca The Prix mondial Cino Del Duca (Cino Del Duca World Prize) is an international literary award. With an award amount of , it is among the richest literary prizes. Origins and operations It was established in 1969 in France by Simone Del Duca (19 ...

provides a substantial cash prize and was made open to qualified persons from anywhere in the world. Simone Del Duca's charitable activities increased to where in 1975 she created the

Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation The Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation is a charitable foundation based in Paris, France. History It was established in 1975 by Simone Del Duca (1912–2004), widow of publishing magnate Cino Del Duca (1899–1967). The Foundation took over ...

. The Foundation's primary involvements gave support for

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...

and after being made a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1994 she funded two major prizes in

visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

and music awarded through the Académie. Simone Del Duca's philanthropic work was recognized by the government of France who made her a commander of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

Thoroughbred racing

Beyond her husband's business and her charitable foundation, Simone Del Duca continued to own and operate their Haras de Quétiéville

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

and

stud farm A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, documentation o ...

Biéville-Quétiéville Biéville-Quétiéville () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Belle Vie en Auge.Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norm ...

. Located in the

Basse-Normandie Lower Normandy (french: Basse-Normandie, ; nrf, Basse-Normaundie) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Lower and Upper Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy. Geography The region included three departme ...

region, an area famous for its many important horse farms, she bred horses that raced at the

Deauville Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film Fes ...

racecourse. Her colt,

Herbager Herbager (1956 – 25 March 1976) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire in both France and the United States. Background Herbager was sired by Vandale, a stayer who won the 1946 Prix du Conseil Municipal and whom Herbager ...

won the 1959 French Classic, the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a ...

, and was named French Champion Three-Year-Old Colt. In 1962, her horse Soltikoff won France's most prestigious race, the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

. Another of her horses, Marly River, won 1987 French Horse of the Year honors in

hurdling Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

. Simone Del Duca died in 2004 at the age of 91 and was interred with her husband in

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...

in Paris.

References

External links

Fondation Simone et Cino Del Duca
(French language)

(French language)

(French language-fee) {{DEFAULTSORT:Del Duca, Simone French philanthropists French racehorse owners and breeders 1912 births 2004 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Del Duca family Owners of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners 20th-century philanthropists