Olivia Thbaut is the most famous known Belgian artiste who has redefined the art of French tattoo. She is also a very accomplished and talented painter, with many publications to her credit and several awards including the prestigious Prix de la Leche en Belgique in Antibes. The fame of the artiste is remarkable because of the quality and originality of her creations, which feature religious themes, animals, nature, human anatomy, letters and symbols from the Latin language and many others. Moreover, she has represented herself and her work in many national and international competitions including the Magnum Salon in London, the Louvre in Paris and the International Tattoo Competition in Amsterdam.
The fame of the artist began to grow when she began to make small figurines from the foam of the sea during the winter of 1981/2. These figurines were life-size, but still included an element of softness and femininity which was very rare for this genre of painting at the time. She then concentrated more on the human figure and soon developed a style which would become highly respected by both male and female patrons. Her works also featured religious themes and many of them dealt with the subject of fate and relationships. This originality and creativity brought Olivia Thbaut some recognition in Europe when she travelled to the country for the first time in 1986.
There she was exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in London, the Musee des Beaux-arts in Rouen and at the House of Royal Drawing in Florence. It was at the latter place that the ‘Red-Haired Lady’ as she was known, received the premiership of Queen Marie Antoinette. After several years in power, her reign was brief and she was succeeded by her husband, Philippe Thionville. For many years Olivia Thbaut continued to make small figurine art but her tastes changed as she aged and this led to a period of commercial and political success which saw her travelling to various Mediterranean countries and making important paintings in Spain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and France.