Biography
Christophe Cusson was born in France in 1962, in the small seaside town of Les Sables d'Olonne on the Atlantic coast.
He first started painting in oils at the age of eight. When his family moved to Neuilly-sur-Seine, he enrolled at the École Martenot where he studied Fine Art from 1971 to 1979. There, he learned the techniques of charcoal, sanguine, oils, watercolor and modeling.
In 1981, he was presented to the general competition reserved for best young French graduates. He then effected research studies in static and dynamic anatomy under Madame Siegfried (1979-1981) and attended a workshop in oil painting with Fabienne Ternat-Garin (1981-1984). It was here that his passion for painting in oils was confirmed. From this point, he continued to deepen his understanding of the technique and to express the diversity of its inspiration through a style that continues to evolve today.
In the 80s and 90s, he participated in numerous competitions and received numerous awards:
1985: First exhibition of his early oils at La Tonnelle in Boulogne
1988: Salon des Arts et Lettres de France in Paris and was selected for the Prix des Jeunes
1989: 32nd Salon des Beaux Arts of Chatou
1990: Salon d'Automne at the Grand Palais in Paris where he exhibited a painting from his Clowns series.
1990: Salon des Arts Plastiques at Marly le Roi
1990: Salon des Artistes Français at the Grand Palais in Paris
1990: Salon de la Celle Saint Cloud
1990: Salon de Mantes la Jolie
1990: 41st International Grand Prix for painting at Deauville where he was selected as a finalist
1990: 32nd Salon "Sacred Art - Spiritual Expression"
1990: Participation in the collective exhibition "Smugglers of Light" at the Centre La Montgolfière in Vaucresson which enabled him to have direct contact with the public while exhibiting a large number of his works
During this period of rich, contrasting colors, scarlet and bright yellow appeared alongside deep, earthen colors. Several paintings revolved around the theme of the circus and clowns.
1991: Exhibition at the Salon des Artistes Français au Grand Palais in Paris
1991: Selected for the Grand Prix des distinctions françaises et étrangères issued by the National Federation of French Culture and reserved for award-winners of art shows.
First exhibition of abstract paintings where a dynamic line appears in cosmic explosions and colorful nebulae.
In 1988, he joined the Rosicrucian AMORC movement which he has never left. He continues to explore his fascination with energy paths which is a recurring theme in his paintings.
Since 2003, Christophe Cusson is a member of the European Art Association Workshop of Levallois where his studio is located.
2004: Participation in "Leval-art," the Salon des Artists de Levallois at the Levallois cultural centre where he is living since 1999
2004: "From Figurative to Abstract" exhibition at the Open Studios Operation in Levallois
2005: "Mediterranean" exhibition in September with paintings which mix abstract and figurative elements
2006: "Baila Flamenco" exhibition in September. These figurative paintings demonstrate Cusson's mastery of graphic forms and vibrant colors while capturing the passion and energy of the Andalusian dancers
From 2008 to 2012:
Cusson's painting is evolving towards a style at once more pared down and rich, the fruit of years of work from a very early age. Now 50, Cusson has his studio in Levallois, France and sells his works on every continent, from the United States to Japan.
Buyers are art lovers, companies or private collectors seduced by his intimate style and the aesthetics of his dynamic vision of shapes, lines and colors.
He also paints, at this moment, large scale portraits where he captures the soul of his subject in a vivid manner.
2014: "Epure d'Azur" exhibition at the Grancy art Gallery in Lausanne
2015: Salon d'Automne in Paris
2016: Exhibition Leval'Art in Levallois - France