Olympio

Olympio was born into a large family of eight children in Lomé, Togo, West Africa. He began his creating art by using building scraps to make sculptures. By the time he was in high school, he started to experiment with mixed-media and collage.

In his early 20s his native Lomé, he would ride his motorcycle and watch the sunset.  The intense blues, oranges and reds inspired him to create paintings that utilized the colors and mimicked the fading skyline.  It was these paintings that attracted the attention of Parisian galleries and began Olympio's exhibition career. 

He starts with the blank canvas, creating no under-drawings, and builds layer upon lay of paint, while also removing paint and scratching the surface of the painting. He applies both oil and acrylic with brushes and his hands, and even applies paint straight from the tube.  His gestural style is emotive and cathartic, and there is no hidden story or elusive meaning behind his paintings. He paints to convey emotion rather than to tell a narrative.

Olympio's work has been shown in many places in Togo and neighboring countries before he then went on to show and sell his work in Paris, France. Olympio moved to the United States in 2003 and has continued to paint. His work has been exhibited and collected internationally.