Nathalie du Pasquier is a French artist who has lived in Milan since 1979, where she has worked as a part of the Memphis collective.
Memphis was a group of architects, industrial designers and artists who collaborated in an effort to shake up the 1980s Milan design scene. The collective worked against the rigid rule book that remained in the wake of modernism: the colours were bold and clashing, the lines were jagged and graphic, the motifs were kitsch and the idea was postmodernism. They embraced everything that was anti design glitter, clashing colours, chessy consumerism, irregular shapes and flamboyant aesthetics. The desired effect was achieved, the old powerhouses of design considered their work garish, but the new generation of younger talent loved it. Memphis exhibited all over the world, Karl Lagerfield decorated his Monte Carlo apartment with their work, respected US architect Michael Graves joined the brigade, and designer Matteo Thun described their bold aesthetic as “a mental gymnasium”.
Nathalie du Pasquier’s style of bold colour and graphic shapes strongly permeates her art, whether it be a textiles, sculpture, painting or design – she does it all! Although today she primarily focuses on painting, her 1980s pattern designs and object pieces for Memphis are legendary.
See more of her work on her amazing site: nathaliedupasquier.com
Nathalie du Pasquier taken for Vogue Living Australia for their Sept/Oct 2011 issue
1987 – Bodum
