Early years
From the moment he could hold a pencil or brush, Paul Schuss began to draw and paint with passion. After spending time in Provence, and the Côte d'Azur near Saint-Tropez, his family settled in Nièvre, Burgundy, in 1953. At just 10 years old, Schuss met the French painter Albert Drachkovitch-Thomas, who quickly recognized his artistic talent. Drachkovitch-Thomas gifted him his first professional painting box and brushes and introduced him to the tempera technique, a traditional medium that would later become a hallmark of Schuss’s work.
As an adolescent, he was deeply moved by the mystical power of light. One day, while observing a warm, golden glow streaming through a window of a ruined fortified castle, he was struck by what he described as an almost inhabited light. This luminous image left a lasting impression and became a spiritual and aesthetic foundation for much of his future art.
Largely self-taught, Schuss went on to explore a wide variety of pictorial techniques, including acrylic, watercolor, ink washes, mixed media, and pastel. At age 17, he exhibited for the first time at the Chapelle Sainte-Marie in Nevers, France, with Le Salon du Groupe Nivernais, showcasing paintings he had created at ages 14, 15, and 16. All of these early works were purchased, notably by the Préfecture de Nevers and private collectors.
Though he began studying law in Paris, Schuss chose to dedicate himself fully to his art at the age of 19. In 1968, while living in Paris, he met Erté, the legendary fashion illustrator and designer of theatrical spectacles for the French music hall.
The 1970s: Roots in Austria and Recognition in Vienna
In 1971, Schuss moved to Austria to reconnect with his family’s origins. He lived for two years in Salzburg, and six years in Vienna. In 1972, he exhibited his work in the historic Palais Lobkowitz—the very palace where Beethoven conducted the first performance of his Third Symphony in 1804. There, he met Dr. Karl Kanzian, who would become his most important collector in Europe.
In 1974, Prince Otto zu Windisch-Graetz—a descendant of Austrian royalty—visited his Vienna studio, along with several family members. Prince Otto photographed some of Schuss’s major tempera works, including Dialog with the Eternal, Power of Nature, The Town Without Soul, and Last Suns.
1980s–1990s: France and Japan
After returning to France in 1979, Schuss joined La Galerie d’Art de la Place Beauvau in Paris, one of the capital's most prestigious galleries. The director, Jean Minet, declared, “He is one of our eminent painters—yes, he is an eminent artist.”
In 1987, Schuss met Marc Squarciafichi, who became his representative in Japan. His works were soon exhibited in the Daimaru Galleries in Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. That same year, Dr. Sozo Hino, director of the Hino Hospital and a major art patron, began acquiring Schuss's works with the vision of creating a Schuss Museum in Osaka. However, this project was abandoned in 1991 following widespread boycotts of French products in Japan after France resumed nuclear testing in the Pacific.
Despite this setback, Squarciafichi continued to promote Schuss’s art for over 15 years, presenting his work alongside artists such as Bernard Buffet, Leonor Fini, Mac Avoy, and Yves Brayer. Paul Schuss became part of the École de Paris, with exhibitions across major Japanese cities—including Osaka, Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe, and Fukuoka—in prominent venues such as Daimaru Galleries, Bijutsu Sekai Gallery, Mori Art Gallery, and Nikken Gallery.
Lithographs: A Return to Tradition
In 1987, Schuss began working at the world-renowned Atelier Mourlot in Paris, where artists such as Dalí, Picasso, Rockwell, and Matisse had created lithographs. Staying true to tradition, he personally ensured that the plates used for each edition were destroyed, and each lithograph was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Jacques Mourlot.
Between 1987 and 1990, he created 11 lithograph editions—five in color and six in black and white. While Mourlot initially advised against monochrome lithography (believing no artists still pursued it), Schuss insisted on its artistic merit. In 1989, he became the first artist in France in modern times to reintroduce monochrome lithographs. These works became especially admired in Japan and include The Refuge Tree and Untamed Passions (1989), followed by Waiting, The Old Bridge, The Crows, and The Forgotten Letter (1990).
1990s–2000s: Return to France
While maintaining a presence in Japan throughout the 1990s, Schuss continued exhibiting in France through Jean Minet’s network of galleries. His work appeared in major cities such as Orléans (Galerie l’Art Ancien), Lille (Galerie Schèmes), Rouen, Reims, and Toulouse.
He remained a permanent artist at Galerie de la Place Beauvau, where Minet once remarked that he couldn’t meet demand from other galleries—he barely had enough Schuss paintings for his own.
In 1996, his work reached the French West Indies with an exhibition at Galerie Olivier Arens in Saint-Martin. Two years later, he returned to his roots in Burgundy, exhibiting in the medieval town of Vézelay. A journalist from Le Journal du Centre wrote: “Vézelay has finally found its painter.”
2000s to Present Day
In 2000, Galerie Artop in Lille, one of the pioneers of online art sales, showcased his work.
In 2002, Schuss became a member of the Society for the Art of Imagination, a group of artists sharing similar visionary inspiration. He was exhibited in two London galleries the same year.
In 2003 and 2004, he opened his studio in the Burgundian village of Sainpuits to the public. It was an immediate success, with visitors from all over France coming to meet the artist and discover his work in the intimate setting of his own studio.
A major retrospective followed in 2005 at the Maison de l’Amérique Latine in Monaco.
Since then, Schuss has continued to paint in the home of his childhood in Burgundy, where the natural landscape and mystical atmosphere remain a constant source of inspiration. Surrounded by family, he continues to create and exhibit worldwide, including:
Shipstore Galleries, Hawaii, USA (2007)
Salon de l’Art Fantastique Européen (SAFE), Mont-Dore, France
Galerie Mourlot, New York (Lithographs, 2012)
Burgundy, France