DE MARCO
Isabelle De Marco, a visionary contemporary artist, continues to make waves in the art world with her dynamic and emotionally charged abstract paintings.
A native of France with a background in psychology, education, and art teaching, De Marco brings a remarkable depth of understanding to her work. As an educator for both teachers and students in primary school, she transforms memories and life experiences into vibrant canvases that invite reflection.
Inspired by avant-garde sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, her great-granduncle, De Marco seeks to carry forward his artistic legacy. She recently showcased her paintings incorporating elements of his drawings in an exhibition honoring him in his hometown. Her work is a dance of textures, colors, and contrasts, balancing strength and softness with movement and stillness.
Since 2018, De Marco has exhibited widely in the South of France, gaining recognition for her innovative techniques and large-scale compositions. In 2025, she will inaugurate two of her works at the Council Hall of St. Jean de Braye.
She recently exhibited at the Grand Palais in Paris in February 2025 and is currently showcasing her work in Lourmarin. Her next exhibitions will take place in Saint Paul de Vence and beyond.
ISABELLE DE MARCO ON
Rencontres, 2024
Acrylic and resin on canvas
51.5” x 38.5”
$5500
This is the life of my great grand-uncle, an avant-garde sculptor from the early 20th century, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, who passed away at 23 after creating nearly a thousand works. His tragic fate and overflowing creativity inspired me from a young age. At 24, I recreated one of his paintings. Since then, art has never left me and has taken a significant place in my life over the past few years.
In my paintings, I experiment, trying out new gestures—meticulous or sweeping, calm or energetic, minimalist or complex. I test their movements, their effects, their coherence. Each one corresponds to new textures of paint or plaster, to which I sometimes add paper or fabric. I carve into the material to uncover the hidden layer beneath, rediscovering its color. The carvings form shapes and words.
I use different tools to create varied effects: knives, hands, fingers, paintbrushes, sponges, scrapers, combs, brushes—whatever I have on hand.
I also experiment with the effects of colors, choosing them based on my mood. I play with their shades, saturation, darker or lighter values, and their placement within the painting. After an initial playful approach, I consider contrasts, spatial positioning, transparency, and opacity.
I explore all the contrasts in composition, colors, and gestures, as they draw and guide the viewer’s eye while creating a dynamic energy in the painting.
The result of my artistic exploration is strength, freedom, intuition, and energy. I add words, phrases, and lines at the end to connect spaces and bring softness, poetry, and power to the whole piece.
These resolutely abstract paintings leave room for the viewer’s imagination, inviting them to let their mind wander…
Fascinated by the connections between people and curious about self-awareness and understanding others, I create canvases that transform stories, memories, and life experiences.
Through my work, I aim to highlight the energy that drives us toward our desires and dreams. It’s a balancing act, a tension between textures, colors, and materials, where carefully chosen words bring meaning and invite reflection.
