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A piece of music, a hint of perfume and the flame of a candle are all Rachelle Cunningham needs to create the ideal atmosphere and bring her works to life: a true ritual that transforms each painting into a unique performance.
Born in Dublin but currently residing between Paris and Athens, she began experimenting with brushes and paints at the age of two. Her father introduced her to the world of painting, teaching her the basics, and at fifteen, while attending a Catholic school in Belgium, she met an art teacher who would become her mentor. Her adolescence was marked by numerous moves, which offered her the freedom to let her imagination run wild and the opportunity to explore different environments. During this period, she attended the Lycée Français, immersed in French culture and art history.
Her studies continued at Parsons The New School of Design in New York, where she earned a degree in Art, Media, and Technology.
watercolor, ink and acrylic paint, 21 x 29.7 cm, Cunningham
The brush becomes an extension of her personality, while the Renaissance, Baroque, and Romantic periods are the main sources of inspiration for her art. Cunningham is drawn to the dialogue between light and shadow and the resulting relationships, finding creative inspiration in sensorial languages—such as music, dance, cinema, interiors, and theater—for her scenes. Her creations are constantly evolving: the forms, initially barely sketched, evolve following intuition and feeling. The resulting atmosphere blends the charm of traditional Irish nymphs with elements of French culture, where soft, luminous watercolors combine with black inks.
Fashion and theater form the backdrop to the female body, which for the artist is synonymous with strength, courage, and magic: works such as “Les Filles du Theatre” and “Valentino Haute Couture ’26” portray the body in stage and haute couture costumes laden with delicate details and elaborate decorations of ruffles, feathers, corsets, and exuberant hats.
Her paintings also feature stones, embroidery, tulle skirts, masks, and fans, as in “Les Filles du Moulin Rouges” and “Les Danseuses,” where vibrant, more or less consistent, brushstrokes alternate with bright and textured splashes of colour that seem to move across the canvas.
Over the years, Instagram has become the perfect stage for Rachelle Cunningham to share her works and her poetics, as well as a tool for direct dialogue with her community. Through her channels, the artist raises awareness of endometriosis, a condition she has personally suffered from for years, and openly recounts how art saved her life and how imagination freed her from suffering.
Her artistic vision has captivated the worlds of fashion, perfumery, jewelry, and beyond: over the years, she has collaborated with some of the most important names of our century.
She was recently involved in a live painting performance for the launch of Balmain’s Cuir Élysées perfume, and in a reinterpretation of French brand Bompard’s iconic Rouge Quarante red shade, celebrating the Maison’s 40th anniversary. She also has projects with Italian high jewelry house Roberto Coin, French fashion house Lanvin, Vivienne Westwood, Cirque du Soleil, and Palais Galliera Musée de la Mode, to name a few.
In a continuous journey of artistic transformation and personal growth, Rachelle Cunningham’s romantic and delicate paintings immerse the viewer in a complete universe.
A rebellious and free-spirited energy emerges from each of her works, counteracting today’s polished, digital images.
