François Rousseau is a professional

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

born in 1967. He started in painting for almost ten years, before turning to photography in 1995. The link started when he discovered

Patrick Grainville Patrick Grainville (born 1 June 1947 Villers-sur-Mer, Calvados) is a French novelist. He spent his childhood in Villerville, a small town east of Deauville. An Associate Professor of Letters, he received the Prix Goncourt in 1976, 29 years ol ...

's novel, ''L'Atelier du Peintre'' (The Painter's Studio) when it came out in 1988 about the relationship of the painter to his models, of different backgrounds, who posed in the studio. It was as if the models had waited to be born and even chosen by the master. This resulted in Rousseau's work ''Atelier''.

Mikael Karlsson Karl Mikael Karlsson (born 21 August 1973), who rides under the name Mikael Max, is an international motorcycle speedway rider who rode in the UK for the Wolverhampton Wolves in the Elite League. After first riding a speedway bike at the age ...

composed ''Life Class'', a 25-minute musical work accompanying ''Atelier'' that became a vital part of the project. Photos from ''Atelier'' became a part of an exhibition at the ''

Maison européenne de la photographie The Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP; European house of photography), located in the historic heart of Paris, is a center for contemporary photographic art opened in February 1996. Location and activities The Hotel Henault de Cantobre, ...

'' in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

until April 2009. He has photographed the 2004, 2011 and 2012 annual issues of ''Dieux du Stade'', a popular series of nude and semi-nude calendars based on members of

Stade Français Stade Français Paris Rugby () is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French clubs of the modern era. The ...

, a

-based

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

team. His work was also documented in famous Dieux du Stade book ''Locker Room Nudes''. He has photographed other athletes, most notably Olympic athletes Steeve and Christophe Guenot in 2004, many models and a number of ''

Out Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

'' magazine covers (like John Barrowman) and ''Vampires in L.A'' feature and major articles features like Chad White in the magazine. ORA was a successful photo book project in 2008 and the ''Wet Men'' book project.Modern Tonic: Photo book review for ''Wet Men''
/ref> François Rousseau's photos were used for the promotional launching poster of French gay '' Pink TV'' channel. His ''Habibi NYC'' and ''Amor Causa'' Brazilian shoots of individuals picked from the street gave him an independent profile. On 5 October 2012 L'Express.FR and a top Parisian writer Isabelle Aithnard compared ''

Têtu ( French for "stubborn") is the main LGBTQIA magazine published in France. It was subtitled in French ( en, the magazine of gays and lesbians) until 2007, and reaffirmed itself as a men's magazine since then. As of December, 2012, its certifie ...

'' 2013 Calendar by Lope Navo to the longest running Les Dieux du Stade by the veteran French photographer François Rousseau's 2013 Calendar. Aithnard concluded she prefers ''

'' Lope Navo 2013 Calendar for casting an exotic variety of exquisite Brazilian men who don't only appeal to gay men but also to straight women.

Books and publications

*2004: ''Dieux du stade: Le livre'' *2005: ''Locker Room Nudes Dieux du Stade: The French National Rugby Team'' (Universe) *2005: ''Male Nudes'' (Photography by Rousseau, text by Philippe Castetbon) (editions Silverback Books) *2005: ''Princes of the Sea (Passionate Pursuits)'' (Fitway Publishing) *2005: ''Amor Causa'' (Fitway Publishing) *2006: ''Nu'' (Photography by Rousseau, text by Philippe Castetbon) (edition Fitway Publishing) *2008: ''ORA'' *2009: ''Men in Motion: The Art and Passion of the Male Dancer'' (Universe) *2011: ''Wet Men'' (François Rousseau) (Rizzoli) *2011: ''Eaux d'hommes'' (François Rousseau, Vanessa Blondel et Catherine Bonifassi) ;Calendars *2010: ''Dieux du Stade 2011'' (Photographer: François Rousseau) *2011: ''Dieux du Stade Calendrier 2012'' (Photographer: François Rousseau)

Exhibitions

*2009 ''Atelier'' at Maison européenne de la Photographie *2008 maison européenne de la Photographie, Paris

References

Personal life

François Rousseau is openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and his work portrays mainly gay themes, the male body, athleticism and spirituality.

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rousseau, Francois 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters 21st-century French painters 21st-century French male artists French photographers Gay painters Gay photographers French gay artists French LGBT painters French LGBT photographers Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 1967 births