When Tim Simon was growing up in Elyria, Ohio, in the 1950s, his stepfather kept a copy of the famous bust of Nefertiti on a coffee table in the living room. Simon didn't think much about the thing at the time. Nor did the exotic Egyptian queen, wife of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Akhenaton, occupy his thoughts for decades to come.
But Nefertiti was destined to play an unlikely role in the life of the San Francisco electronics entrepreneur - and that of his adoptive city as well. With the opening of "The State Museums of Berlin and the Legacy of James Simon" at the Legion of Honor this week, an original likeness of the celebrated Egyptian beauty will enjoy pride of place along with about 150 other objects in a wide-ranging show that wouldn't have happened without Simon's drive, determination and avidly pursued family connections.
In addition to an abundant selection of Egyptian and Babylonian antiquities, the show includes a sublimely becalmed "The Virgin With the Sleeping Child" by the 15th century Italian master Andrea Mantegna; a pair of Andrea della Robbia terra cottas; paintings by Courbet, Renoir and Caspar David Friedrich; Japanese woodblock prints; and European folk art in various media.
The State Museums of Berlin and the Legacy of James Simon: Sat.-Jan. 18. $16-$20. Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Tues.-Sun. Legion of Honor, 34th Avenue and Clement Street, San Francisco. (415) 750-3600, www.famsf.org/legion.
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