Isabelle de Borchgrave Belgian, 1946-2024

Born 1946, Brussels, Belgium; died 2024.

Isabelle de Borchgrave began her studies at the age of 14 at the Centre des Arts Décoratifs in Brussels.  She went on to establish her own studio designing dresses, jewelry, and accessories, and later specialized in designing fabrics. Following a 1994 visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, she developed the idea of paper costumes.  She developed four collections of paper and trompe l'œil: "Papiers à la Mode" -  300 years of fashion history, from Elizabeth I to Coco Chanel; "Mariano Fortuny" - 19th century Venice, with its veils and elegance; "I Medici" - Florence, with its Renaissance gold-braiding, pearls, silk, and velvet; and "Ballets Russes"  - a tribute to Serge Diaghilev, founder of the company, and to Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, who designed costumes for it. 

De Borchgrave used paper to interpret textile patterns and textures. With her trompe l'oeil paintings and sculptures, she invited the viewer to explore her imaginary world and to create their own illusions.

De Borchgrave exhibited at museums and institutions around the world including London's Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Royal Palace, Luxembourg, Museo Fortuny in Venice, and Japan's Kushiro Art Museum, among others.

Her 2011 exhibition at Serge Sorokko Gallery, Recent Paintings and Sculptures, coincided with Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor.

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