Paris Street Art Legend Miss.Tic Dies Aged 66

Miss.Tic, whose provocative work began cropping up in the Montmartre neighbourhood of Paris in the mid-80s and made her a pioneer of French street art, died on Sunday aged 66, her family told AFP.

Radhia Novat grew up in the narrow streets in the shadow of Sacre-Coeur basilica, the daughter of a Tunisian father and a mother from Normandy in western France, where she began stencilling sly and emancipatory slogans.

Her family said she had died of an unspecified illness. Other French street artists paid tribute to her work.

On Twitter, street artist Christian Guemy, alias C215, hailed “one of the founders of stencil art”. The walls of the 13th arrondissement of Paris — where her images are a common sight — “will never be the same again”, he wrote.

Another colleague, “Jef Aerosol” said she had fought her final illness with courage, in a tribute posted on Instagram.

And France’s newly appointed Culture Minister, Rima Abdul Malak, saluted her “iconic, resolutely feminist” work.

Miss.Tic’s work often included clever wordplays — almost always lost in translation — and a heroine with flowing black hair who resembled the artist herself. The images became fixtures on walls across the capital.

“I had a background in street theatre, and I liked this idea of street art,” Miss.Tic said in a 2011 interview.

“At first I thought, ‘I’m going to write poems’. And then, ‘we need images’ with these poems. I started with self-portraits and then turned towards other women,” she said.

Miss.Tic also drew the attention of law enforcement over complaints of defacing public property, leading to an arrest in 1997.

But her works came to be shown in galleries in France and abroad, with some acquired by the Paris modern art fund of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, according to her website.

And cinema buffs will recognise her work on the poster for Claude Chabrol’s 2007 film “La fille coupee en deux” (“A Girl Cut in Two”).

For a spell she was a favourite of fashion brands such as Kenzo and Louis Vuitton.

“So often it’s not understood that you can be young and beautiful and have things to say,” she told AFP in 2011.

“But it’s true that they sell us what they want with beautiful women. So I thought, I’m going to use these women to sell them poetry.”

Her funeral, the date of which is still to be announced, will be open to the public, said her family.

Sources: AFP

Adib Mohd

Recent Posts

SEACare 2025 Solidifies Malaysia’s Leadership in Southeast Asia’s Healthcare Landscape

Malaysia’s commitment to transforming its healthcare system takes centre stage this week as SEACare 2025,… Read More

2 days ago

Drop: A First Date That Turns Into a Psychological Minefield

What happens when trust, trauma, and tequila meet at the same table?  That’s the unnerving… Read More

2 days ago

SME Bank Collaborates with Autism Cafe Project to Empower Autistic Entrepreneurs

Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Berhad (“SME Bank”) has partnered with The Autism Cafe… Read More

2 days ago

Pahlawan Malaysia 2025: Malaysia’s Premier Obstacle Sports Competition Set to Energize the Nation at the Curve, Mutiara Damansara

The Malaysia Obstacle Race Sports Association is proud to announce Pahlawan Malaysia 2025, the premier… Read More

2 days ago

Tesla Malaysia is Celebrating the ‘Earth Week’ to Rewards Owners in Conjunction with a ‘Refer and Win’ Campaign

Embracing the mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, Tesla Malaysia launches the… Read More

2 days ago

Malaysia’s Viper Niza Racing On The Winners’ Podium At The 12 Hours Of Spa Francorchamps

Malaysians Douglas Khoo, Dominic Ang and Melvin Moh raced to a podium finish at last… Read More

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.