Toronto-based artist and sculptor Sophie Defrancesca creates lifelike wire mesh sculptures of dresses, gowns and other figurative works that are capable of fooling the eye from a distance. Her finely twined bodices, adorned with Swarovski crystals, fit exhibition spaces as easily as they would a fashion runway.
DeFrancesca was ten years old when her mother passed away, leading to an interest in maternal figures. An immigrant who fled wartime Europe, DeFrancesca’s mother was resilient and fashionable, often captured in photographs wearing beautiful clothing handmade by family members. As a child, DeFrancesca used these pictures to create clothing for her dolls, both as a way of remembering her mother and to engage with her fascination with vintage apparel. DeFrancesca later graduated in 1990 from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) and in the early 2000s, she began using wire mesh as a design material to examine rigidity in fashion and the role of femininity. She shaped the galvanized steel mesh into life-size human forms.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she has expanded her practice into laser-cut plexiglas to allow for more intricate detailing that furthers the illusion. She has exhibited in group and solo shows across North America, including at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, Alberta; the Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln, Nebraska; and at various spaces in Toronto, Montreal, New York and Miami. Her 2022 exhibitions included shows at the Newzones Gallery Of Contemporary Art in Calgary and the Oeno Gallery in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Sophie DeFranesca’s sculptures and mixed media.
Black Venus
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Solar Radiance
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Champagne Celebration
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Iconic Marilyn in Iridescent Gold 3
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Atomic Pink
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Rebirth of Venus
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Ms. Universal Love
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Blue Moon
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Blue Aphrodite
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Vintage Cameo
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Original Blonde Bombshell (Variation 2)
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Garnet Red Aphrodite
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Golden Era
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Ms. Parallel Universe
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Control of the Masses 17
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Control of the Masses 14
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Control of the Masses 20
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Control of the Masses 16
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Breakfast at Tiffany's (Variation 5)
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Just Too Much
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Control of the Masses 22
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Primal Blue
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Buck Berry
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Midas Touch
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Sun King
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Forest Swag
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Big Hair Big Dreams
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Blondes Have More Fun
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
$2,325
H 20.5 in W 20 in D 2.5 in
Concentric Circles II - Colorful Modern Abstract Figurative Sculptural Artwork
By Jamie Burmeister
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Nebraka-based Jamie Burmeister is a sculptural artist known for his original artworks incorporating original small bronze and aluminum figures, standing at just up to 4 inches tall. ...
Metal
$14,800
H 38.5 in W 44 in D 20.5 in
Don Quixote - Resin and Metal Blue Sculpture of Horseman
By Angelo Canevari
Located in New York, NY
Angelo Canevari’s Don Quixote is a 38 x 44 inch mix media sculpture. It is made of metal, resin, blue automotive paint, and cardboard. Angelo Canevari's work is often inspired by classical themes and myths. In this sculpture, he revisited with a modern interpretation the famous character of Don Quixote of La Mancha, in the Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Almost Baroque in it's curvilinear shape rendered by the interlacing blue lines, the horseman and the horse emanates a superb emotional tension that culminates in the horse's red eye and the horseman's red head. This sculpture is part of a very limited number of works that the artist created at the end of his life. It has been featured in a book written by renowned writer Andrea Camilleri. Angelo Canevari is an Italian sculptor who comes from a long lineage of artists active in Rome since the 17th century. He has been commissioned several works by the Vatican including the Bronze Doors of the Cathedral of Belluno and the Vatican Coins.
Metal
$14,800
H 37.5 in W 16 in D 37.5 in
Picador (Bullfighter) - Resin and Metal Orange Sculpture of a Bullfighter
By Angelo Canevari
Located in New York, NY
Angelo Canevari’s “Picador” is a 37.5 x 16 inch mix media sculpture. It is made of metal, resin, automotive paint, and cardboard. It represents the lancer and a bull of the famous Sp...
Metal
Robot With Mask
By Demba Camara
Located in New York, NY
Robot with mask, 2012, Wood, painted, plastic elements, 35 x 30 x 56 cm, 4 kg DEMBA Camara, born in 1970 in Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire 2006/2007: Group exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain 2008: Group BHAI - friends of Art, Abidjan 2009 exhibition: solo exhibition at the galerie Le Lab, Abidjan 2009/2010: exhibition "Africa? -Una nuova storia"Complesso del Vittoriano, Rome, Italy since 2011: permanent exhibition at Gallery Amani, Abidjan 2012: Group exhibition at the galerie Le Lab, Abidjan group 'Africa Africa', Centre d'art contemporain, Meymac, France represented at Affordable Art Fair in Rome by Kyo black Representation on map a series of objects by Camara deep by Frédéric Bruly...
Mixed Media
$7,000
H 16.5 in W 9.5 in D 0.5 in
Ceramic, Wall Hanging, French Cleat, Stoneware, 2D Sculpture, Tarot 17, The Star
By Alessandro Gallo
Located in St. Louis, MO
Ceramic, Wall Hanging, French Cleat, Stoneware, 2D Sculpture, Tarot 17, The Star “Animals carry strong associations that make them ideal in portraying, sometimes humorously, our bas...
Ceramic, Stoneware, Paint, Mixed Media
$4,000
H 12.5 in W 5 in D 5 in
Adaptation VIII Contemporary Sculpture, Mixed Media, 2010+, Unframed
By Karine Payette
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Through a variety of structural and wall-hanged pieces, Karine Payette’s Adaptation examines how changes in the environment can begin to have an impact on our physical existence. Ele...
Silicone, Wood, Mixed Media, Pigment
$7,200
H 8 in W 10.5 in D 8.5 in
Untitled Diptych Sculpture, Contemporary Mixed Media, 2010-Present
By Eddy Firmin
Located in Montreal, Quebec
The first decades of the 21st century shaped the period of reconfiguration of the "world order", according to Pedro Pablo Gómez1, into three options: "rewesternalization, dewesternal...
Metal
$4,000
H 9.5 in W 5 in D 4 in
Adaptation VI Contemporary Sculpture, Wood and Silicone, 2010-
By Karine Payette
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Through a variety of structural and wall-hanged pieces, Karine Payette’s Adaptation examines how changes in the environment can begin to have an impact on our physical existence. Ele...
Silicone, Wood, Mixed Media, Pigment
$7,500
H 36 in W 40 in D 10 in
Xenolith VIII Mixed Media Sculpture, Contemporary, 2010s, Unframed
Located in Montreal, Quebec
A collision. A landslide. A tectonic shift and a tumbling of boulders reveal geological strata that have been hidden for centuries. Nicholas Crombach’s Landslip is a slow unfurling o...
Mixed Media
$2,182
H 7.88 in W 19.3 in D 10.24 in
Mussel II by Ondřej Oliva - Figurative aluminium sculpture, food, sea
By Ondřej Oliva
Located in Paris, FR
Mussel II is an aluminium sculpture by contemporary Czech sculptor Ondřej Oliva. The dimensions are 20 × 49 × 26 cm (7.9 × 19.3 × 10.2 in). This unique artwork is sold signed with a...
Mixed Media
Tiger Head
By Jordy Kerwick
Located in London, GB
Jordy Kerwick Tiger Head, 2024 Mixed media 73 x 82 x 50 cm 28 3/4 x 32 1/4 x 19 3/4 inches ordan Kerwick’s gritty, thickly impastoed paintings range from haunting figurative portra...
Mixed Media
$7,000
H 16.5 in W 9.5 in D 0.5 in
Ceramic, Wall Hanging Tile, French Cleat, Stoneware, 2D Sculpture, The Chariot
By Alessandro Gallo
Located in St. Louis, MO
Ceramic, Wall Hanging Tile, French Cleat, Stoneware, 2D Sculpture, The Chariot “Animals carry strong associations that make them ideal in portraying, sometimes humorously, our basic...
Ceramic, Stoneware, Paint, Mixed Media
$4,000
H 12 in W 5.5 in D 4 in
Adaptation IV Sculpture, Contemporary Mixed Media, 2010+, Unframed
By Karine Payette
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Through a variety of structural and wall-hanged pieces, Karine Payette’s Adaptation examines how changes in the environment can begin to have an impact on our physical existence. Ele...
Silicone, Wood, Mixed Media, Pigment
$4,000
H 11.5 in W 4.5 in D 5.5 in
Adaptation I Contemporary Sculpture, Silicone and Mixed Media, 2010-
By Karine Payette
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Through a variety of structural and wall-hanged pieces, Karine Payette’s Adaptation examines how changes in the environment can begin to have an impact on our physical existence. Ele...
Silicone, Pigment, Wood, Mixed Media
$4,000
H 12 in W 5.5 in D 6 in
Adaptation III Contemporary Sculpture, Wood and Silicone, 2010-
By Karine Payette
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Through a variety of structural and wall-hanged pieces, Karine Payette’s Adaptation examines how changes in the environment can begin to have an impact on our physical existence. Ele...
Silicone, Wood, Mixed Media, Pigment
The Blue Buck
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Iconic Marilyn in Iridescent Gold 2
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Toronto artist Sophie DeFrancesca has always been fascinated by vintage fashion. Pictures of her mother wearing gorgeous frocks from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s served as a connection to...
Mixed Media
Blue Lagoon
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
With the addition of deep blue lagoon pigment the artist has transformed galvanized steel mesh, wire and liquid latex into an elegant evening dress. This g...
Metal
Control of the Masses No 25
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Galvanized steel mesh, wire, metal screen and liquid rubber are transformed into a lingerie confection with the addition of black paint, pearl beads and dangling grey Swarovski cryst...
Mixed Media
True Blue
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Galvanized steel mesh, wire and brilliant turquoise liquid latex are transformed into a life sized trophy head of a buck in this wall mounted sculpture. In mythology, the stag may re...
Steel
Eternal Deep
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Playful sculpture of the iconic trophy of a majestic moose head. This work is lifesized, and the scale (including the shadlow) gives the work great presence. Toronto-based artist,...
Stainless Steel
Higher Love
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
An elegant formal white sculpture of a wedding dress that references desire, marriage, elegance and confidence. Defrancesca's forms are rendered out of galvanized and stainless s...
Stainless Steel
A Star is Born
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Toronto-based artist, Sophie Defrancesca graduated from the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University) in 1990. While working in various commercial art fields for over a decade, sh...
Stainless Steel
Mademoiselle Extraordinaire
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This mixed media sculpture of a spaghetti-strap cocktail dress by Sophie DeFrancesca conjures up an image of an idealized life women may have enjoyed in 1950s Paris or Hollywood. The playful little red...
Stainless Steel
Avec Plaisier
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This saucy sculpture hangs suspended on clear lines. Toronto-based artist, Sophie DeFrancesca graduated from the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University) in 1990. While workin...
Stainless Steel
Skin Deep
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This elegant and evocative teal sculpture floats in space, suspended on two clear lines. Toronto-based artist, Sophie Defrancesca graduated from the Ontario College of Art (now O...
Stainless Steel
Midnight Whispers
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Wall-mounted dress, part of DeFrancesca's gown series. Rich blue black paint sparkles in the light. Handcrafted roses adorn the wire mesh gown sculpture. The shadow becomes an intere...
Steel
Sanctity of Dreams
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Her forms are worked out of galvanized and stainless steel. Her animal forms are sometimes also rendered in primary colors with latex and automotive paint applied to the surface. ...
Stainless Steel
Agent Provocateur
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Life size elegant free-standing gown created from galvanized steel wire, swarovski crystals and stainless steel. Sophie De Francesca was born in Toronto in 1967, and attended the ...
Follow Every Rainbow
By Sophie DeFrancesca
Located in Bloomfield, ON