Christelle Téa (b. 1988, Paris) studied Visual Communication at the École Olivier de Serres in Paris before entering the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 2010, where she obtained her Diplôme National Supérieur d’Arts Plastiques (visual arts) in 2015. Téa is celebrated for her intricate ink drawings that convey her deep understanding of space and an exceptionally sharp eye for detail, working on subjects such as architecture, interiors, winding staircases, culinary delights, and natural history. Drawing exclusively from life, her thin, confident lines and distinct style invite viewers into the worlds she explores and her own unique, often challenging perspectives. She seeks resemblance, not realism, focusing on spontaneity and directness. She works without preliminary sketches or corrections, with a commitment to the purity and permanence of ink.
Through her art, Christelle Téa distills the material world to reveal her perception of it. Her interior studies, devoid of human figures, allow the spaces themselves to tell their own stories. She has a passion for food, both taste and design, producing series of drawings and watercolours focused on gastronomic delights, such as her mouth-watering pastries, all drawn from life in patisseries around the world. Téa has also co-produced a cookery book. She has created numerous works inspired by her travels, particularly in Japan.
Passionate about music, Téa made a series of drawings featuring singers and instrumentalists from the Orchestre National de l’Opéra de Paris during her studies, exhibited at the Opéra Bastille media library in May 2012. In 2015, she participated in the Echigo-Tsumari Triennale in Japan as part of a workshop led by Jean-Luc Vilmouth and Clélia Zernik. In 2018, she travelled to Budapest to create watercolour studies of the city’s famous baths, which were later exhibited. Her work is held in many prestigious collections, including the Petit Palais, Paris; Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris and the Clark Art Institute, Massachusetts, USA. One person exhibitions of her work have been held at Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris and Musée National Jean-Jacques Henner, Paris, among many others. In 2024, the Aquarium de Paris presented a major exhibition of her watercolours depicting aquatic life. In early 2025, Christelle Téa had a solo exhibition at the Château de Malmaison, once home to Josephine and Napoléon Bonaparte.