In Conversation with Isabelle and Christine d’Ornano

This month, we are delighted to speak with Isabelle d’Ornano, co-founder of Sisley Paris, and her daughter Christine d’Ornano, Global Vice President of the brand. Together, they are the driving force behind one of the world’s most respected luxury skincare houses. Renowned for its pioneering approach to beauty, exceptional quality and commitment to innovation, Sisley Paris has also distinguished itself through its longstanding support of art and culture. As passionate collectors and patrons of the arts, Isabelle and Christine d’Ornano have cultivated a unique dialogue between beauty and artistic expression, both within the brand and in their personal lives. In this interview, Isabelle and Christine d’Ornano share insights into their enduring relationship with the art world and their personal journeys as collectors. They also discuss how culture, craftsmanship and innovation remain at the heart of everything they do, shaping not only the vision of Sisley Paris, but also their broader commitment to artistic patronage.

LVH Art: Could you tell us about your personal journey as collectors?

Isabelle d’Ornano: Regarding our personal journey as collectors, my husband and I never liked being called collectors. We simply bought art that we liked when we were able to. I would say that a significant part of my journey began with l’Espace Sisley, which was an art space where I curated exhibitions of emerging artists, which ultimately gave way to Trois-Cinq Friedland, our current Sisley cultural program space in Paris. One artist we showed at l’Espace Sisley was Bronisław Krzysztof, whose work I also helped place in the Getty and David-Weill families’ private collections. Being of Polish origin, I specifically wanted to help Polish artists, a desire my husband shared as well.

Christine d’Ornano: Similar to my mother, I wouldn’t really consider myself a collector either. I have always had passion for art, and through attending fairs and going to see different exhibitions, I have found out what works appealed to me. I really believe that art should make you feel something, so I try to surround myself with works that I have a physical response to.

LVH Art: Do you collect intuitively, or do you follow a particular vision or philosophy?

Isabelle d’Ornano: Our passion is not for collecting, but for beautiful things; we buy intuitively based on beauty or a connection to a moment in our lives.
 
Christine d’Ornano: I have a love for the Arte Povera movement. There are a lot of artists that appealed to me from that time and so I have ended up with quite a few works from that period. Overall, when I start liking an artist I try to learn more about them. There are also some artists that I’ve followed since the beginning of their career, such as Jonas Wood who I discover years ago. I bought works from his first gallery exhibition and it’s been interesting to see his career grow since then. But to answer your question, I, like my mother, collect completely intuitively.

LVH Art: Are there specific works within your collection that hold special significance or tell an important story?

Isabelle d’Ornano: Yes, I bought an Anselm Kiefer work from his Virgin Mary series after my husband’s death. The words “Marie coming down on the third day” are written on the work. When I looked at it, I found myself thinking about how happy she must have been in that moment. I felt a strong connection to the work, almost as though it wanted to find its way into my home. It was a very powerful feeling.
 
Christine d’Ornano: As I said I love Arte Povera, and I love Alighiero Boetti for instance. I bought a watercolor of his years ago and years later I was able to buy a larger work, that I still look at every day. Those two works definitely hold a significant place in my heart.

LVH Art: What advice would you give to someone beginning their own collecting journey?

Christine d’Ornano: I buy things that I love of course, but I always try to ask myself, “If I were to fall out of love with this work one day, would I be able to resell it?” So, while my decisions are primarily driven by personal tatse, the potential for a work to retain it’s value is also important to me. If I feel that a work has little future value, then it can make me more hesitant before acquiring it. The exception, of course, is when it comes to young artists. If a work is affordable and you genuinely love it, then I think you should simply go and get it, without worrying too much about its future value. In the end of the day I would say though, still trust your taste and your feelings first.

LVH Art: Sisley Paris has become one of the most respected names in luxury skincare. Could you tell us the story of how the brand was founded and the vision that guided its beginnings?

Isabelle d’Ornano: Sisley Paris was founded fifty years ago by my husband and myself. I used to work in fashion and didn’t know much about cosmetics. But my husband, who was already a great specialist in the field, and had previously founded a cosmetics company, had the intuition that modern technology could effectively extract the best from plants. Fifty years later, we are still constantly innovating.
 
Christine d’Ornano: The brand is a true reflection of both my parents, Hubert and Isabelle. My father wanted products with the best active ingredients from plants and my mother wanted products that are easy to use, that have great textures that are a moment of pleasure in your routine. I think this combination is part of the success of the brand.

LVH Art: Art and culture have long been woven into the Sisley brand. Through exhibitions, film screenings, literary evenings, and performances at Trois Cinq Friedland in Paris, Sisley actively supports a diverse creative community. Why has investing in art and culture in such a meaningful way always been important to the brand?

Isabelle d’Ornano: Supporting artistic and cultural initiatives has always been important to us. Not only the Trois-Cinq Friedland, but all the The Sisley Foundation extends this philosophy by supporting education, women, poverty relief, and of course the arts. For example, we donated a bell to Notre Dame, we supported the restoration of stained glass at the Château de Blois, and helped completely clean the unique dome, painted by Charles de la Fosse, at the Church of the Assumption in Paris. We believe that since beauty has given us means, we should use those means to benefit others.

Christine d’Ornano: We get very inspired by art. A large part of the company is really scientific, so that’s the skincare aspect of the brand where we produce the most efficient products. But another part is the perfumes and the makeup where we are much more influenced by our taste, by art, by culture and as a family-owned business, we have let our own world be the inspiration for this part.
 
Supporting and collaborating with artists has always been a great source of inspiration. As Sisley has also grown into a larger company with 5,000 employees, these artistic initiatives have also become a wonderful way to engage with our wider teams, fostering a shared sense of culture within the brand. Luxury houses have been linked to art, but here it has always inspired us as a family and a brand. It makes our teams come together, discuss these cultural events, and overall creates a much more stimulating environment. It also gives you different perspectives that then bring about new ideas.

LVH Art: How do you approach selecting the artists you collaborate with, whether it is for limited edition works or for product designs? For example, you worked with the Polish sculptor Bronisław Krzysztof, to design some of Sisley’s most iconic fragrance bottles; how did this come about?

Isabelle d’Ornano: Our collaborations with artists often stem from long-standing relationships. I met the Polish sculptor Bronisław Krzysztof long ago, bought a lot of his work, and encouraged him to design furniture. He was highly gifted at design, and eventually, I asked him to design the caps for our Eau du Soir.
 
Similarly, Elzbieta Radziwill has designed all the limited editions for our ecological emulsion, and she even created unique, individually painted lampshades with specific words for our Maison Sisley around the world.
 
Christine also has a passion for discovering and promoting artists, such as Sydney Albertini, who would later create two limited editions of L’Eau du Soir in 2020 and 2022.

LVH Art: Sisley has developed a meaningful partnership with Beaux-Arts de Paris, one of the leading art schools in the world. When did this collaboration begin, and what initially inspired it?

Christine d’Ornano: We have launched this partnership with the Beaux-Arts 6 years ago, with the conviction that art needed to be supported. It is a prize for emerging artists who have graduated from the Beaux-Arts within the past three years. The winner receives a grant, and we also organise an exhibition of their work, help promote their practice, and acquire one of their artworks for our Maison Sisley.
 
We can also collaborate with them later on, like we did with Ymane Chabi-Gara, who created a limited edition for the Eau du Soir in 2023. It’s very rewarding to support young artists and it’s also very inspiring because we get a lot of new ideas from listening to them.

LVH Art: Lastly, Isabelle, you recently published a book. Could you please tell us a little more about it and what inspired you to write it?

Isabelle d’Ornano: Yes, I published a book in France last week, titled Imagine, which will also be released in English in the United States and England at the beginning of November. It is a book about my cushions, which are my small artistic contribution to the world of beauty and art. Subtitled ‘A story of words, cushions for needlepoint lovers,’ it features cushions that I improvised entirely without any preliminary drawings. The designs come to me as I work, often starting with a word or phrase that I like, because I find that language is what distinguishes us from other living beings.