Born in 1989 in Toulon, Annabel Faustin lost her father at the age of four. The loss of her father — who was a fireman and a painter — in a plane crash moved Faustin deeply. It inspired her to become a painter as a way of honouring her father’s memory and realizing the unfulfilled dreams he had left behind.

Faustin holds a Diploma in Art Direction from L’École Estienne and a Masters in Luxury Management. Before becoming a painter, she spent six years working as a designer for numerous luxury brands. She found the work enjoyable but fast-paced and tiring, and around 2019 she started painting portraits of characters who were peacefully asleep. The dichotomy between Faustin’s lifestyle and her art was a symbol of her tiredness.

She moved to the Latin Quarter in Paris three years ago and has lived and worked there ever since. ‘Konbini Arts’ and ‘Inside Closet’ featured her work in 2020, and ‘Blues’ marked her first participation in an art show.

Faustin emphasizes slowness, softness, and contemplation in her paintings. Her work deliberately portrays a world without the stresses and violence of modern life. The world and the characters in her paintings show an almost-utopic existence with harmony and kindness. She simultaneously draws inspiration from the Renaissance and Romantic movements, but also more modern trends such as smartphones and selfies. Faustin creates surrealistic pictures by combining present-day objects with classical landscapes.

Faustin paints characters that are inspired by the paintings of Fernand Léger, busy in quiet contemplation and each other’s protection, in an environment that portrays a harmonious union between nature and culture.