Isabella Ducrot
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Biography
Born 1931 in Naples, Italy
Lives and works in Rome, Italy
In recent years, Isabella Ducrot has gained remarkable international recognition, following an extraordinary career spanning four decades. In December 2026, Museo Madre, Naples, will devote a major retrospective to Ducrot, curated by Adam Weinberg, which will subsequently travel to the Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo, and MoMA PS1, New York, in 2027–28.
Her practice has been the subject of significant institutional presentations, including the Museo della Civiltà, Rome; EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art; Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli; Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome; and MAXXI a Taormina. Among her earlier milestones was Ducrot’s participation in the Venice Biennale in 1993 and 2011. In 2022, her large-scale installation Omaggio a Mishima (Homage to Mishima) was presented in the Unlimited sector of Art Basel.
The year 2024 marked an important chapter for Ducrot in France, with a comprehensive solo exhibition at Le Consortium Museum, Dijon, alongside a collaboration with Dior, for which she created the monumental scenography for its Spring 2024 Haute Couture show.
Ducrot’s work is held in prominent collections, including the Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo; Cranford Collection, London; EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art; Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome; Le Consortium Museum, Dijon; MAMCO, Geneva; MAXXI Museo, Rome; and Munchmuseet, Oslo, among others.
She is also the author of numerous publications, including La Matassa primordiale (2026); Animali Recenti (2025); Stoffe (2022); La vita femminile (2021); La stoffa a quadri (2019); Suonno. Il sonno e il sogno nella canzone napoletana (2012); Fallaste Corazón (2012); Pensiero religioso ed elettricità (2011); La Matassa Primordale (2008); and Bianca di Pelle (1995).
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Isabella Ducrot
Blue Line, 2025Pigments and fabric on Japan paper
174 x 99 cm
68.5 x 39 inches -
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WorksOpen a larger version of the following image in a popup:
Installation view. Sweet Sixteen, Capitain Petzel, Berlin, 2024
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup:
Installation view. Sweet Sixteen, Capitain Petzel, Berlin, 2024
Isabella Ducrot
Tendernesses I, 2024Pastel, pigments, pencil, silver and collage on paperSigned and dated rectoPaper dimensions:
166 x 98 cm / 65.4 x 38.6 inches
Framed dimension:
179.8 x 110.1 cm / 70.8 x 43.4 inchesB-IDUCROT-.24-0019Further images
Isabella Ducrot’s Tendernesses series is a combination of traditional textile art, elements of modernist abstraction and contemporary themes of intimacy with their cultural continuity. Ducrot’s work not only celebrates the...Isabella Ducrot’s Tendernesses series is a combination of traditional textile art, elements of modernist abstraction and contemporary themes of intimacy with their cultural continuity. Ducrot’s work not only celebrates the materiality and aesthetic richness of fabrics, but also positions the artist within a contemporary context that highlights the re-evaluation of traditional methods of image making. This revival blurs the boundaries between fine art and craft, acknowledging the artistic value of techniques historically considered decorative or utilitarian. Ducrot’s work, with its emphasis on fabric, weaves into this narrative, celebrating the beauty and complexity of textile traditions.
Engaging with themes of memory, time and cultural identity, the works carry the weight of their material histories, resonating with a sense of continuity and constant change. This synthesis creates a dialogue between the past and the present, reflecting the artist's tendency to draw from diverse cultural sources.
While modernist tradition often sought to break with the past, Ducrot’s approach is more integrative. She does not reject traditional forms and techniques but rather recontextualizes them within a contemporary framework. Her works often reflect dialogues between the past and the present, combining historical references with modern sensibilities. Ducrot emphasizes the tactile and visual properties of her materials, inviting viewers to appreciate their texture, color, and composition in new ways.Exhibitions
Sweet Sixteen, Capitain Petzel, Berlin, 2024ExhibitionsExternal ExhibitionsPressPublicationsIsabella Ducrot: Near to Happiness
Touring a 16th-Century Italian Palace: Isabella Ducrot's Private Art Collection | The World of Interiors
Isabella Ducrot's Studio | Frieze Masters 2024
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