Sandra Hegedüs was born in São Paulo, Brazil. She studied philosophy and film at the FAAP of São Paulo. In the beginning of the 80’s, she produced many performances as an artistic activist of the Paulist scene. She arrived in France in 1990 and developed a considerable portfolio of film documentaries and reports. Sandra’s taste for art led her to begin her collection of contemporary art in 2005. Her desire to play a more important role in aiding artistic creation naturally led her to patronage. She created SAM Art Projects in 2009 with the idea of supporting contemporary art by both promoting the work of foreign artists in France and of French artists abroad through the yearly attribution of a prize and a residency program. In 2013, SAM Art Projects became a non-profit association, founded and supported by Sandra Hedegüs.