Tony Soulié

Born in 1955 in Paris, he lives and works there.

Tony Soulié is represented in France by the gallery Fabrice Galvani, Toulouse.

From the A300 to the A380, A400M and A350 XWB, the history of aeronautics has been deeply rooted on a global scale for years but most particularly in Toulouse. With le Printemps de septembre, Airbus offers the public an opportunity to discover the history of aeronautics, past and future – through a series of photos from the artist Tony Soulié.
Since 1976, more than hundred personal and collective exhibitions are devoted to him throughout the world – New York, Los Angeles, Santiago, Tokyo, Paris, Shangaï, Toronto, Frankfurt, Bangkok, etc... Main international fairs present his work and about fifty French and foreign museums keep his photo-paintings. Tony Soulié got six awards for his work and in 2004 was decorated “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres”.

Tony Soulié loves travelling and is interested by everything: land art, painting…frequently, he takes pictures, then adds inks, pigments he integrates gloss paint, cabinetmaker’s glue, carborundum powder, acrylic. The result is sumptuous and full of life. The encounter between Tony Soulié and AIRBUS opens up new horizons and immeasurable possibility for delving at once into the world of art, aeronautics and journeying.

“There is something pure and timeless about industrial sites. The collection of photo-paintings, Airbus Seen Through the Eyes of Tony Soulié, conveys an expression of the passion, adventure and the international culture of Airbus - this European success story, with the factories and aircraft that shape skylines in towns around the world from Toulouse to Hamburg, Sevilla to Broughton, Tianjin and many others.

By combining striking photography with painting in brightly coloured inks, Tony Soulié brings scenes of industry to life in an original and unexpected way. The strong, vivid colours the artist uses have a powerful visual effect, grabbing one’s attention and stirring emotion. Who would think contemporary art and aircraft manufacturing could come together so elegantly?
But seeing Tony Soulié at work, one has to realise that art and building aircraft have more in common than first meets the eye. Both are about anticipation, imagination, precision, quality, occasional work-around and above all, creativity.

Many people have been touched by the Airbus story, this European company which integrated the diverse heritage of former national champions to become the global leader in aircraft manufacturing in just 40 years. At the same time, not everyone is aware of the significant contribution our industry makes to global economic and social prosperity. On a regional level, be it in developed or developing countries, our activity, wherever we are present drives the growth of other business sectors, as well as supporting the creation of high-tech jobs. It was the consideration of these factors which provoked our decision to ask Tony Soulié to give us his artist’s view of Airbus.

The result is a stunning collection of 114 photo-paintings. They will be exhibited at Airbus sites around the world over the next two years. After the tour, half of the paintings will be shared between our sites, while the remaining half will be auctioned to raise funds for the Airbus Corporate Foundation. Consequently, Tony Soulié’s unique way of depicting our modern industrial world can be enjoyed by many and become a source of inspiration for people touched by this blend of art and aviation.”

Fabrice Brégier
Airbus, President and Chief Executive Officer

Tom Enders
EADS, Chief Executive Officer