Annette Messager studied at the École des Arts Decoratifs and his first works date from the early 1970s. Her work claims the absolute freedom to fit into the present, to be constantly renewed, to be playful and serious, creating a universe that is attractive and repulsive, dramatic and ironic, evident and ambiguous. The constant foundation of her work is the concept of duality. In her installations she makes use of photography, drawing, knitting, embroidery, sewing, and objects she has collected. Interested in taxidermy, which she compares to photography, she combines photographic images of dead animals with children’s faces. An internationally recognised artist, she was the first woman to represent France at the Venice Biennale in 2005, where she was awarded the Golden Lion for her work Casino, freely inspired by the story of Pinocchio.