Coussens, Armand

1881 – 1935
French

Born in Nîmes, Armand Coussens moved to Paris to continue his studies at the prestigious École des Beaux Arts and pursue a career as an artist. Frustrated by the overly academic approach to learning Coussens returned to the South of France and became a professor of Drawing at the Beaux-Arts in Nîmes.

He began his career as a print maker around 1912. After experimenting with etchings, aquatints, lithographs and monotypes, he eventually chose soft ground etchings in black and in color as his medium of choice. His subjects included views of Paris and other French cities and towns, portraits of writers and war scenes, but he is best known for his depictions of working people. Quickly but expressively drawn, his softly colored etchings portray merchants, performers, and tradespeople in their professional milieu.

Coussens created over 200 etchings in his career.