Isabelle de Borchgrave

Isabelle Jeanne Marie Alice Jacobs,[1] by marriage, Countess Isabelle de Borchgrave d'Altena (born 1946) is a prominent Belgian artist and sculptor, best known for her colorful paintings and intricately painted paper sculptures. She is married to Count Werner de Borchgrave d'Altena.[2]

Isabelle, Countess de Borchgrave d'Altena
Born
Isabelle Jeanne Marie Alice Jacobs

1946
Brussels, Belgium
NationalityBelgian
Education
  • Centre des Arts Décoratifs, Brussels
  • Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
Known forpainting, paper sculpture, installation art, collage
Isabelle de Borchgrave exhibition in Kalmar Castle

Early life

Countess Isabelle de Borchgrave d'Altena was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1946. She began her studies at age 14 at the Centre des Arts Décoratifs, and, later – at Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.[3] De Borchgrave worked in advertising for less than a year after she had finished studying, and then made clothes for her friends before branching out into interior design. She later established her own studio, designing dresses, scarves, jewelry, accessories and, in particular, also designing fabrics.[4]

Career

Following a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1994, de Borchgrave began designing paper costumes. She worked on four big collections, all in paper and trompe-l'œil, each of which set the scene for a very different world. "Papiers à la Mode" (Paper in Fashion), the first, was a collaborative effort with the Canadian costume designer Rita Brown and covered 300 years of fashion history, from Elizabeth I to Coco Chanel.[5] "Mariano Fortuny" dealt with the world of 19th century Venice, paying particular attention to the elegant plissés and veils.[5] "I Medici" was a trompe-l'œil installation of famous Florentine figures in the ceremonial dresses of the Renaissance, with intricate gold-braiding, pearls, silk and velvet. Then came Sergei Diaghilev's "Ballets Russes", that paid tribute to the impresario, as well as the artists Pablo Picasso, Léon Bakst and Henri Matisse, all of whom designed costumes for the ballet company.[6]

A major turning point in de Borchgrave's career came in 1998 with her exhibition, "Papier à la Mode", at Musée de l'Impression sur Etoffes in Mulhouse, France. It consisted of thirty lifesize outfits made of painted paper. "Papier à la Mode", which The New York Times called "pure delight",[7] toured France, the United States and Asia. As it traveled, de Borchgrave expanded it - with costumes from the wardrobes of Queen Elizabeth I of England, Marie Antoinette and the Empress Eugénie, the consort of Napoleon III, while it was in Japan, and adding Ottoman kaftans in Turkey.

Borchgrave d'Altena family coat of arms

Over the years, de Borchgrave's paper creations have ranged from an elaborate headdress in the shape of a caravel in full sail, worn by Marie Antoinette, to some oversized roses for John Galliano's haute couture show for Christian Dior, to a subtle, white on white wedding dress train worn by Princess Annemarie of Bourbon-Parma at her wedding with Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma.[8] She was also commissioned to recreate Jackie Kennedy's wedding gown for the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston. "It was dusty and fragile, wrapped up in black tissue paper", de Borchgrave recalled, "The silk was dead, you couldn't touch it any more. It was preserved like a relic. The original is dead, but the paper one brings it to life again."[5] In 2004, de Borchgrave designed and made a delicate, painted paper dress for Queen Fabiola of Belgium, which the queen wore to the wedding of Prince Felipe of Spain in Madrid.

In 2008, an installation of over 80 pieces by de Borchgrave opened at the Fortuny Museum in Venice. Entitled "Un mondo di carta - Isabelle de Borchgrave incontra Mariano Fortuny", ("A World of Paper: Isabelle de Borchgrave Meets Mariano Fortuny") the exhibition was spread over the historic palazzo's three floors and included versions of Fortuny's classic, finely pleated "Delphos" dress, as well as robes, shoes and other accessories and props, all made of painted paper. Reviewing the installation for The World of Interiors magazine, author Barbara Stoeltie wrote, "de Borchgrave freely shares her adventures in beauty – a beauty that, beneath her gaze and from her fingertips, pours out unstintingly. Tubes of paint, boxes of pastels, sheaves of brushes of all sizes and all kinds of glue gleefully take part in her marvellous game. The work itself rejoices."[9]

In 2008, an illustrated hardcover monograph "Paper Illusions: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave" was published in the United States by Abrams Books.[10] The book was well reviewed by The New York Times.[11][12] The monograph was authored by Barbara and René Stoeltie, with an introduction by Hubert de Givenchy.[13]

In February 2011, a large scale installation, "Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave" opened at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco.[14][15] The retrospective exhibition was presented in six sections: "The Artist's Studio"; "In White" showcased a selection of nine dresses; "Papiers à la Mode" featured iconic looks from key periods in fashion history signature designer pieces; "Fortuny" was an immersive environment created under a paper tent populated by recreations of Fortuny's famed pleated and draped gowns; "The Medici" and "Inspiration" – work inspired by four paintings from the Legion of Honor's collection.[16][17] Quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle, John Buchanan, the Museum's director, called the exhibition "pure poetry". "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen", he added.[18][19]

In de Borchgrave's art, the starting point is almost always the same: sheets of paper one meter by one and a half meters (3.3 feet by 4.9 feet), which she sets to work on with her brushes and paints on an enormous linen-covered table in her studio in Brussels. "Her colors, reports The New York Times, "are very much inspired by her travels: reds from the roses of Turkey, earth hues from Egypt, blues from Greece...Borchgrave produces astonishing effects of scintillating color, weight, transparency and texture. Her renderings of diaphanous gauzes are especially astonishing."[20]

In 2012, Borchgrave created an installment for the Hillwood Estate, Museums and Gardens in Washington, D.C, titled Pret-a-Papier: The Exquisite Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave. The installment featured Borchgrave's elaborately patterned paper sculptures of shoes, gowns, ballgowns and dress. Many were historically inspired.[21]

Borchgrave also designs patterns for party items for American retail store, Target.[22]

Isabelle de Borchgrave's work has been widely collected by major museums and private collectors. She is represented in the U.S. by the Serge Sorokko Gallery.[23]

Personal life

Isabelle Jacobs married Count Werner de Borchgrave d'Altena in 1975. They have two children. The couple resides in Brussels, Belgium.

Museum exhibitions
  • 2018, "Fashioning Art from Paper" at the Frick Art & Historical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[24]
  • 2011, "Pulp Fashion" at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California.[25]
  • 2011, a paper crinoline dress by de Borchgrave was on exhibit at the "Pour Rire ! Daumier, Gavarni, Rops" show at the Félicien Rops Museum in Namur, Belgium.[26]
  • 2010, "I Medici" at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels.[27]
  • 2010, paper sculptures at the "Shoe, Shoe...Shoes" exhibition at Izegem Museum in Izegem, Belgium.
  • 2010, a paper dress by de Borchgrave was included in "Extending the Runway: Tatiana Sorokko Style" at the Phoenix Art Museum in Arizona.[28]
  • 2009, "Medici - Il sogno ritorna: Isabelle de Borchgrave a Palazzo Medici Riccardi" at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, Italy.[29]
  • 2009, Isabelle de Borchgrave's Elizabethan costume created out of painted paper was displayed at "Art and Illusions: Masterpieces of Trompe l'Oeil From Antiquity to the Present Day" at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy.[30]
  • 2008, "Rêves de Papier - Isabelle de Borchgrave interprète Mariano Fortuny" opened at the Musée des Tissus in Lyon.[31]
  • 2008, "Papier à la Mode" at Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado in São Paulo, Brazil.[32]
  • 2008, "Un mondo di carta - Isabelle de Borchgrave incontra Mariano Fortuny", a large, three-floor installation opened at Fortuny Museum in Venice.[33]
  • 2007, paper sculptures by Isabelle de Borchgrave, at the "Decorative Arts of the Kings" exhibition at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia.[34]
  • 2007, de Borchgrave's paper recreation of Christian Dior's Bar Suit was included at "RRRIPP!! Paper Fashion", exhibition at the Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece.[35]
  • 2005, "Papier à la Mode", the Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg.
  • 2004, "Papier à la Mode", Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul.
  • 2004, "Papier à la Mode", Mode Natie Museum, Antwerp.
  • 2002, "Papiers à la Mode" at the Kushiro Art Museum, Hokkaido, Japan.
  • 2002, "Papiers à la Mode" at the Daimaru Museum, Osaka, Japan.
  • 2002, "Papiers à la Mode", Royal Ontario Museum, Canada.[36]
  • 2000, "Papiers à la Mode" at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.[37]
  • 2000, "Papiers à la Mode" at the Flanders Fashion Institute, Antwerp.
  • 1999, "Papiers à la Mode" at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts.
  • 1999, "Papiers à la Mode: Illusions of Fashion" at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.[38]
  • 1998, "Papiers à la Mode" at the Musée de l'Impression sur Etoffes in Mulhouse, France.[39]

Bibliography
  • Globus, D. (2001). The Pop-Up History of Costumes And Dresses. Universe Publishing. ISBN 078-930-507-0.
  • De Borchgrave, Isabelle (2004). Mes Carnets De Venise. Flammarion, Paris. ISBN 978-2-08-030455-1.
  • Sadraee, Saeed (2004). The Textile Collection of Saeed Sadraee Revisited By Isabelle De Borchgrave. Sadraee. ASIN B000VAD81M.
  • Charial, Jean-André, De Borchgrave, Isabelle (2005). Saveurs De Provence. Flammarion, Paris. ISBN 2-08-201273-5.
  • Brown, Rita, De Borchgrave, Isabelle (2008). Papier À La Mode. Cosacnaify, Brésil. p. 408. ISBN 978-85-7503-743-0.
  • Barbini, Pascaline (2008). Un Mondo Di Carta - Isabelle De Borchgrave Incontra Mariano Fortuny. Skira, Milan. ISBN 978-88-6130-719-3.
  • Stoeltie, Barbara & René (2008). Paper Illusions: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave. Abrams, USA. ISBN 978-0-8109-7133-2.
  • Renzi, M., Acidini, C. (2010). I Medici: il sogno ritorna. Isabelle de Borchgrave a Palazzo Medici Riccardi. Alias. ISBN 978-88-96532-00-3.
  • D'Alessandro, Jill (2011). Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco & Prestel, USA. ISBN 978-3-7913-5105-6.
gollark: It's not one of those weird retroactive ones.
gollark: You can't be affected by LATER cognitohazards.
gollark: It's not a very useful cognitohazard, honestly?
gollark: It makes you unable to be affected by cognitohazards.
gollark: Now THIS is a cognitohazard.

References
  1. "Papierkunstenares Isabelle De Borchgrave exposeert". www.bruzz.be.
  2. "Eretekens". Federale Overheidsdienst Buitenlandse Zaken. 12 July 2013.
  3. Stoeltie, Barbara. "Paper Illusions: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave", Abrams Books, U.S. October 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  4. Morris, Roderick (31 May – 1 June 2008). "In Search of Lost Style, with Painted Paper" (PDF). International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  5. Farry, Eithne (12 October 2008). "Isabelle de Borchgrave's paper dresses". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  6. "Dancing into Glory: The Golden Age of the Ballets Russes". Ballets-Russes.com. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  7. Schiro, Anne-Marie (22 June 1999). "Mannequins, Start to Finish". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  8. "Religious Wedding of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma and Annemarie Gaultherie van Weezel". Theroyaluniverse.com. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  9. Stoeltie, Barbara (July 2008). "Pulp Fictions" (PDF). World of Interiors Magazine. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  10. "Paper Illusions: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave". Amazon.com. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  11. "The Best Gift Books of 2008". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  12. Garner, Dwight (27 November 2008). "Gifts Worth Buying a Coffee Table For". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  13. De Givenchy, Hubert. "Paper Illusions: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave", Abrams Books, U.S. October 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  14. Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave Palace of the Legion of Honor official website.
  15. Wood, Sura (19 February 2011). "De Borchgrave's grand illusions". San Jose Mercury. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  16. Zinko, Carolyn (6 February 2011). "Isabelle de Borchgrave's 'Pulp Fashion' in S.F." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  17. Gereben, Janos (9 February 2011). "'Pulp Fashion' puts art of paper on the runway". San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  18. Bigelow, Catherine (9 February 2011). "Legion party for artist Isabelle de Borchgrave". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  19. "Isabelle de Borchgrave at the San Francisco Legion of Honor". Departures Magazine. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  20. Morris, Roderick (30 May 2008). "In Fortuny's footsteps, Isabelle de Borchgrave's painted paper shoes". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  21. Politanoff, Evelyne (20 July 2012). "Prêt-à-Papier or Couture Paper: The Exquisite Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave". Huffington Post. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  22. "Art, explained". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  23. "Serge Sorokko Gallery". Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  24. Isabelle De Borchgrave: Fashioning Art From Paper
  25. Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave at the Legion of Honor Legion of Honor Museum official website.
  26. Pour rire ! Daumier, Gavarni, Rops: l’invention de la silhouette Félicien Rops Museum official website
  27. I MEDICI: Une renaissance en papier d'Isabelle de Borchgrave Archived 17 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium official website.
  28. "Extending the Runway: Tatiana Sorokko Style at the Phoenix Art Museum". Museumpublicity.com. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  29. Medici - Il sogno ritorna: Isabelle de Borchgrave a Palazzo Medici Riccardi Palazzo Medici Riccardi official website.
  30. Morris, Roderick (20 November 2009). "What Is Real, What Isn't?". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  31. Rêves de Papier - Isabelle de Borchgrave interprète Mariano Fortuny Archived 19 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Musée des Tissus official website.
  32. Papier à la Mode Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado official website.
  33. Exposition au Musée Fortuny à Venise: Un Monde de Papier - Isabelle de Borchgrave rencontre Mariano Fortuny Archived 10 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine E-venise.com. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  34. Decorative Arts of the Kings Exhibition Showcases Opulent Lifestyles of the French Kings Archived 1 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine High Museum of Art official website.
  35. Kiss, Elis (5 March 2007). "A fashion thread, in paper instead". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  36. Papier à la Mode Royal Ontario Museum official website.
  37. Stamer, Andrew. "Storey Material". Wilson Quarterly. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  38. "Events; Trio of Design Shows at Fashion Institute". The New York Times. 17 June 1999. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  39. Isabelle de Borchgrave. Paper Fashion Archived 14 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Musée de l'Impression sur Etoffes official website.
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