Thérèse Coustry
Thérèse Coustry was born in 1950 in Casteau, Belgium, and lives in her home/studio surrounded by a great garden furnished with trees and flowers. Passionate for art, music, cinema, nature, animals and travelling, her paintings are filled with all the poetry that surrounds her.
Since 1973 she paints scenes inspired by old times and landscapes of hills and valleys. Her paintings focus on the country and its serenity and peace, where each story is a slice of life driven by people who work the land, chat, have fun… and are happy!
Her works are full of light and nature, specially trees and flowers. But it is the cat that dominates as her favorite theme. They play with children in the patios or on window sills, and appear in big plan dominating the canvas, in the most diverse positions and revealing looks as curious as they are suspicious.
Thérèse Coustry searches for a life in permanent contact with nature and happiness which she then transfers to the canvas. With a secure technique, a special attention to detail, a fertile imagination, a very singular expression and chromatic games, we bond with her paintings, often calm and even relaxing, and sometimes emotional and vibrant, but always optimistic.
Apart from having illustrated numerous books, magazines, calendars and Unicef cards, she has participated in various exhibits, such as:
Belgium – Brussels, Charleroi, Mons, Namur, Anvers, Tournai and her gallery/studio in Casteau.
France – Paris (Galerie Naïfs et Primitifs from 1979 to 1998), Lille, Biarritz, Antibes, Verneuil s/Avre (Festival d’Art Naïf)
Netherlands – Amsterdam (Galerie Hamer)
Germany – Munich (Galerie Charlotte)
United Kingdom – London (BH Corner Gallery)
Denmark – Dronninglund, Copenhague (Centenaire du douanier Rousseau par le FIVAN)
Switzerland – Morges (Galerie Pro Arte Kasper: 1er prix d’Art Naïf), Genève
Japan – Kobé (UFACSI), Nagasaki (Galerie Naïfs et Primitifs de Paris)
United States – New-York (Galerie Naïfs et Primitifs)
Turkey – Istambul et Lefkosa (UFACSI)
Spain – Madrid (Galerie Eboli), Valence (UFACSI)
Poland – Katovice (FIVAN)
Portugal – Lisbon (Allarts Gallery)