Isabella Ducrot - Profusions in Fabric and Form
“You can make a drawing of two people in love, but the tenderness doesn’t always come out. I’m trying to make tenderness come out, tenderness and the possibility of touch.”
—Isabella Ducrot
Isabella Ducrot, born in Naples in 1931, has spent over four decades crafting a career that seamlessly blends art, textiles, and storytelling. Renowned for her innovative fabric-based compositions and paintings, Ducrot’s work is tactile, symbolic, and deeply influenced by her extraordinary collection of rare textiles. Over years of extensive travels - from the markets of Isfahan to the silk roads of Central Asia, and the vibrant bazaars of India and China - she has amassed a treasure trove of fabrics, each piece a fragment of cultural memory.
Running until February 15, 2025, Ducrot’s latest exhibition, Profusions, at Sadie Coles HQ in London, marks a vibrant new chapter in her practice. Having only begun her artistic career in her fifties, Ducrot has since evolved into a celebrated figure whose work continues to inspire. The exhibition offers a fresh perspective on her recent series of mixed-media works and builds on themes first explored in her 2024 collection, Remembering Flowers. In Profusions, Ducrot positions floral forms as central figures, adopting a bold and exuberant style. These motifs spill across her surfaces in dramatic bursts of colour, breaking free from traditional confines.
The show also highlights Ducrot’s hallmark ability to integrate diverse cultural and historical influences. Gilded frames and layered textures pay homage to ancient crafts, while her unrestrained brushstrokes, vivid blues and tropical oranges, and dense, flowing outlines evoke a sense of life in bloom. Remnants of antique textiles, a signature feature of Ducrot’s work, add depth and texture, transforming her art into a celebration of craftsmanship and history. Her ability to bridge the ancient and contemporary speaks to the timelessness of storytelling through fabric.
Amidst this newfound vibrancy, traces of her earlier works remain. The checkered grid (a recurring element inspired by Simone Martini’s The Annunciation) is woven into her floral compositions, reflecting her fascination with structure. Ducrot resonates with Martini’s interplay between the angular nature of grids and the fluidity of curved lines, which she describes as “a clash, a challenge to the formal balance of the whole.” In her hands, this tension becomes a dynamic dance between order and spontaneity.
For those visiting Profusions, expect not just a visual feast but an immersive exploration of the tactile and symbolic dimensions of art. Ducrot’s work reminds us of the enduring power of imagination and the stories woven into every thread. This exhibition is a testament to the boundless creativity of an artist who, even in her nineties, continues to redefine the possibilities of her craft. For anyone with a love of textiles, art, or the narratives they carry, Profusions is a must-see.
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Profusions by Isabella Ducrot
17 January – 15 February 2025
Sadie Coles HQ
Kingly Street Viewing Room
62 Kingly Street
London
W1B 5QN
Tuesday - Saturday 11am-6pm
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For further information:
https://www.sadiecoles.com/artists/73-isabella-ducrot/
http://isabelladucrot.it/?l=en&s=h
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Image Credits: Sadie Coles HQ / Isabella Ducrot.