Miguel Cisterna

Equally elegant and exotic, Miguel Cisterna’s works imbue the classical French tradition of fine embroidery with a modern sensibility. His hand sewn, labor intensive designs layer contrasting materials to create one-of-a-kind haute couture embroidered textiles.  Raffia is wrought into shafts of wheat gently bending into the wind, insects crafted from wire and shell hover and crawl, floral designs sparkle with crystal embellishments, and the fragile elegance of humanity is made apparent through anatomical drawings in thread.

Born in Chile, Miguel Cisterna now lives and works in Paris. Prior to opening his Parisian atelier, Cisterna was the former Creative Director for Ateliers Brocard, the firm that fabricated Napoleon’s coronation cape. His experience with historical restoration is extensive, including the furniture embroideries at Malmaison (the residence of Josephine de Beauharnais), Amalienborg Castle in Denmark for the Danish royal family, the Chateau de Fontainebleau (one of Napoleon’s residences), Madame Recamier’s bed, and the Duc de Morny’s salon at the Musée du Louvre. Additionally, he was commissioned by the Kobe Museum in Japan to recreate Napoleon’s coronation costumes.

His success has led to collaborations with renowned artists including Marc Bankowsky and Brigitte Terziev, a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts (Sculpture department), and winner of the Prix Bourdelle.