Brussels – In a crowded auction room filled with admirers of the artist's work, Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr paid a moving tribute to Isabelle de Borchgrave (1946-2024) during an auction held in Brussels yesterday (17 June 2025). The star lot of this sale, composed of 68 recent and historical works, was Garden Tree, a 3.5-meter-long kraft paper piece that sold for €49,920, an auction record for the artist. Originally intended to be pleated, the work was left untouched at the artist's request, which allowed us a rare view into her technique before the pleating process.

The sale totalled €916,608 with over 80% of lots sold.

This renowned Belgian artist, who passed away in 2024, drew much of her inspiration from her travels. She made masterpieces from one of the simplest materials: paper. Her works have been exhibited in the world's greatest museums where they remain preserved today. Her practice touches on art, fashion and design and spans more than four decades of creation.

Werner de Borchgrave, Isabelle's husband , said: "I am happy with the results of this sale, which allowed me to pay a beautiful tribute to Bébelle and to experience very moving moments, especially during the five days of exhibition at the studio. Painting was something essential to her, as important as breathing. She believed colour to be deeply therapeutic. She loved to lose herself in the depth and intensity of the colours."

Valentine Naslin, Head of Sales at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Brussels , commented: "This sale, which achieved atotal exceeding €916,600, was an international success and showed the full scope of Isabelle de Borchgrave'swork, atrue magician of material and colour. Collectors from Belgium, across Europe, and around the world competed not only for her stunning pleats, but also for bronze furniture and various objects. We were also delighted to welcome many paper and design lovers to her beloved studio in Brussels which allowed them to appreciate her colourful and enchanting universe in situ."

Through various advanced painting and paper folding techniques, Isabelle, affectionately known to her intimates as Bébelle , created masterpieces of pleated art, such as Circus , the largest format ever created. Estimated at €15,000-28,000, it sold for more than twice its estimate, reaching the price of €35,840. Seduced by Mariano Fortuny's pleating, which inspired her to create a collection of paper dresses in 2008, this art of pleating has become her signature style. Platane, a paper folding screen made in 2021 using acrylic and gouache, more than doubled its estimate to reach €32,000.

Bronze sculpture is no exception to the pleated rule. Each bronze is cast from an original sculpture meticulously crafted in paper. A large oval bronze coffee table (Edition 2/8), estimated at €18,000 to €32,000, was sold €38,400. A Mushroom table, signed and numbered 1/8, was sold €25,600.

Her paper sculptures were equally celebrated, in particular with the Gold Baroque chandelier , estimated at €4,000 to €7,000, sold for €29,440 and a2022 Water Lily chandelier, soared to €28,160 against an estimate of €7,000 to €9,000.

Of the four sculptures of the four seasons, inspired by the painter Arcimboldo and created in 2021, Summer was sold for €17,920 while the other three sold for €12,800 each.

Isabelle's fascination with fabric and its representation throughout art history also led her to create impressive collections of dresses and objects, where beneath each garment, paper becomes asubtle expression of textures, folds, trimmings or jewellery. She created and took part in numerous exhibitions. Inspired by The Silk Road , Niki tripled its estimate from €4,000 to €6,000 and sold for €12,800.

Isabelle always travelled accompanied by sketchbooks in which she gathered a unique and intimate collection of drawings, paintings, and sketches. A set of 27 gouaches from Venice reached €19,200.

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Biography of Isabelle de Borchgrave (1946-2024)

Born in 1946 in Etterbeek, Isabelle de Borchgrave was a leading Belgian artist and sculptor, best known for her colourful paintings and finely painted paper sculptures.

Isabelle began her studies at the age of 14 at the Centre des Arts Décoratifs before graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. Shortly after graduation, she set up her own studio focused on fashion and interior design, often using the fabrics she worked with as a canvas for her art.

A pivotal moment in her career came in 1994, when she began designing elaborate paper costumes. Combining her passions for fashion, history and painting, she created four major collections in her now famous trompe-l'oeil style.

The first collection entitled "Papiers à la Mode", the result of a collaboration with Canadian costume designer Rita Brown, traced 300 years of fashion history, from Elizabeth Ito Coco Chanel.

As the collection travelled around the world from 1998 to 2008, the artists expanded it with additional costumes from the wardrobes of Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, and Ottoman caftans.

From the Fashion Institute in New York to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Flanders Fashion Institute in Antwerp and the Museum of Fine Arts in San Francisco, this travelling exhibition attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to the museum over a decade.

Her second collection, "Mariano Fortuny", delved into 19th-century Venice with a special focus on intricate patterns, finely pleated dresses and delicate veils, damask and silks. This was followed by "Moi Médicis," atrompe-l'oeil installation of famous Florentine figures in Renaissance ceremonial gowns adorned with gold braids, pearls, and velvet. Finally came "Ballets Russes" where de Borchgrave paid tribute to Sergei Diaghilev, Pablo Picasso, Léon Bakst and Henri Matisse, all of whom designed for the iconic ballet company.

Now famous for her paper creations, Isabelle de Borchgrave never stopped painting and sculpting. Moving from canvas to paper, and paper to bronze, her vibrant paintings and delicate sculptures have been presented in solo and group exhibitions in Belgium, Switzerland, France, Japan, Brazil, the United Kingdom and the United States, from 1979 to the present.

Isabelle de Borchgrave also collaborated as a fashion and interior stylist with prestigious brands such as Givenchy, Comme des Garçons, Christian Dior, Hermès, Villeroy & Boch, Pierre Frey, Lanvin or Caspari to name a few.