NATHALIE DU PASQUIER

Early Years

Born in Bordeaux in 1957, Nathalie Du Pasquier was influenced early on by her mother, an art historian, and by formative travels in West Africa during the 1970s, where she first encountered the power of pattern and vibrant colour. In 1979, she moved to Milan, Italy, where she became immersed in the city’s dynamic design scene. Largely self-taught, Du Pasquier soon met designer George Sowden, her future husband and collaborator, and joined the Memphis Group at the invitation of Ettore Sottsass in 1981. She has lived and worked in Milan ever since.

Nathalie Du Pasquier Artworks

Nathalie Du Pasquier’s art practice is defined by its constant movement between painting, design, sculpture, and construction. Her approach is rooted in a fascination with the arrangement of objects, the interplay of two- and three-dimensional forms, and the poetic possibilities of everyday things.

Memphis Group and Design (1981–1987)

As the youngest founding member of the Memphis Group, Du Pasquier designed textiles, carpets, furniture, and decorative surfaces that became icons of postmodern design. Her work for Memphis is celebrated for its exuberant use of colour, graphic patterns, and a spirit of experimentation that challenged the conventions of modernism.

Transition to Painting and Still Life (1987–2000s)

After Memphis disbanded, Du Pasquier shifted her focus to painting. Her early canvases and works on paper depicted meticulously arranged still lifes—first using everyday objects, then handmade wooden constructions as models. These works are characterised by a balance of compositional rigour and intuitive play, often using an earthy palette and exploring the relationship between objects and the spaces they occupy.

Abstraction, Constructions, and Expanded Practice (2000s–present)

Du Pasquier’s later work moves fluidly between representation and abstraction. She constructs sculptural objects and architectural forms, which then become subjects for her paintings, or exist as installations. Her practice now encompasses ceramics, books, carpets, and collaborative design projects, always investigating the boundaries between art and design, object and image.

Select Public Commissions

• ‘BRIC’, site-specific installation for Mutina, Modena, Italy (2019)
• Textile and pattern designs for Hermès, Valentino, and American Apparel

Select Awards and Accolades

• Work held in public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Philadelphia Museum of Art; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Victoria & Albert Museum, London; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
• Major survey exhibitions at MACRO, Rome and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia.

Exhibitions

Nathalie Du Pasquier has been the subject of both solo exhibitions and group exhibitions at important institutions. Below is a selection of important exhibitions.

Solo Exhibitions

• Nathalie Du Pasquier: Nivola Museum, Orani, Italy (2025)
• Arrangements 1993–2023, Villa Noailles, Toulon, France (2024)
• Campo di Marte, MACRO, Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome, Italy (2021)
• Big Objects Not Always Silent, Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, USA (2017)
• Other Rooms, Camden Art Centre, London, UK (2017)

Group Exhibitions

• Land In Land Out, Uffizi Galleries, Florence, Italy (2024)
• Future, Former, Fugitive, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France (2019)
• Everything at Once: Postmodernity, 1967–1992, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, Germany (2023)
• The House Of Dust: Women’s Work (1960–2020), MAMC Saint-Étienne, France (2022)

Nathalie Du Pasquier FAQs

Ocula | 2025