I have always wanted to be a muse for Ralph Rucci, his creations are to die for. If I ever get the chance to attend a Red Carpet Event, I want to wear a Ralph Rucci creation. The Serge Sorokko Gallery announced that it will exhibit American haute couture designer and celebrated visual artist Ralph Rucci's latest works, "Ralph Rucci: Ascension," from December 15 through January 18, 2013. This remarkable 30-piece collection of mixed media paintings on canvas will feature works created in 2011 and 2012. Gallery owners Serge and Tatiana Sorokko will host a private reception in his honor at the Serge Sorokko Gallery on December 14, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
"After five years of anticipation we are elated to bring Ralph's extraordinary new paintings to the gallery, said Serge Sorokko. "In the years since his last exhibition, the world has seen the continual evolution in his exceptional fashion designs, and now we have an opportunity to see the same evolution in his pictorial work."
During his career as an internationally acclaimed fashion designer, Rucci has developed fabrics with luxury mills throughout Europe, using advances in technology to create new textiles and by studying archives in order to revive historically important cloths. This has been a significant force for him as an artist as his prints are based on his own paintings. He draws inspiration from art, as well, ranging from classic Renaissance works to those of contemporary masters such as Antoni Tàpies, Cy Twombly, and Francis Bacon.
For the man who said he'd be a psychiatrist if he wasn't designing clothes, creating art — or "channeling," as he calls it — is his preferred psychological release. While he likens his artistic process and the catharsis of creation to a great therapy session, Rucci says that painting is different and purer than fashion design because he allows himself to be taken and fed into the canvas. As he describes it, "I discovered fashion as an artistic medium. Later in life, my trap door opened, and I found my ability as a painter - a fine artist - to be an extension of my psychiatric work. This is my future - melding the two arts."
If you are in San Francisco for the holiday go check out the
PAINTINGS BY RALPH RUCCI opening on Friday, December 14
