African WildlifeOriginal Paintings and Fine Art Editions
African wildlife lies at the heart of Stéphane Alsac’s work. The French contemporary wildlife artist paints leopards, lions, rhinos, buffalo, zebras and gorillas, each one a face-to-face encounter with an animal often met in the field, from the Kenyan savanna to the forests of Cameroon, then painted in the studio in oil on linen canvas with a realism that borders on hyperrealism.
This collection brings together original paintings, unique pieces often in large format, their numbered and signed limited canvas editions, and original pencil sketches and watercolours.
In the field
Every painting in this collection begins with an encounter. For several months a year, Stéphane Alsac travels to observe, sketch and photograph the animals he later paints in his studio. Many of these encounters take place in Kenya’s Masai Mara. There he spent days waiting for Romi, the reserve’s most famous female leopard, until she reappeared one evening at the foot of the tree where she had hoisted her kill. He also witnessed the morning a lioness brought her cubs out of hiding for the first time: the moment captured in “Fiercely Protective”.
But the Africa he paints is not only savanna. In Cameroon, he walked for more than ten days through the Faro reserve to glimpse the Lord Derby eland, known as “the ghost”, then spent two weeks in the rainforest, following trails carved by elephants, in search of the bongo.
The animals in the collection
The leopard remains his favourite subject. What fascinates him is its way of being perfectly still yet entirely present. Perched on its branch, “Motswiri” gazes into the distance as if waiting for something only it can see, while “Tlalamba”, painted for a collector, holds the viewer’s gaze unflinchingly from her rock.
Facing a lion, the artist says he feels a primal fear mixed with fascination. That unease is what “Maximus” sets out to convey, in a chiaroscuro portrait where only the eyes, muzzle and mouth are sharp.
The giants of the savanna are painted up close. The black rhino of “Damanius”, a species that has fascinated him since childhood, took weeks of work. “Daggaboy” takes its name from the Zulu word “dagga”, the mud that coats these old solitary buffalo bulls; worn by the years, he still has plenty of fight left in him. The painting sold for $51,000 in 2023 at the Dallas Safari Club auction.
The rest of the collection ranges from zebra to gorilla: the stripes of “Equinox”, where black and white answer each other, the shifting crowd of the Great Migration in “Razzle Dazzle”, and the almost human gaze of “Spartacus”.
Painting the gaze
Most of these paintings are built around the animal’s gaze. Stéphane Alsac paints in oil on linen canvas, often larger than life, using chiaroscuro and the interplay of warm and cool tones. For him, the anatomy must be accurate, or the viewer will not step into the painting. The coat is worked hair by hair, while the background fades away, almost abstract, to lead the eye back to the eyes.
Originals, editions and sketches
- Original painting: a unique piece in oil on linen canvas, signed. Originals start at €6,000 (about $7,800); the largest formats reach €150,000 (about $195,000). Some works have sold at auction in the United States for over $50,000. Price of each original on request.
- Canvas edition (giclee): a limited edition, numbered and hand-signed, printed on 375 gsm matte canvas from the original painting, with a certificate of authenticity bearing the artist’s double signature. Each work exists as a single original painting; only some are released as editions.
- Sketches and watercolours: original works on paper.
Frequently asked questions
Which leopard and lion paintings are available as canvas editions?
“Tlalamba”, “Motswiri”, “Invictus” and “Maximus” come as canvas editions in several sizes. “Fiercely Protective” exists only as an original painting.
Can I commission an African wildlife painting?
Yes: Stéphane Alsac accepts private commissions, see Private Commission.
Does part of each sale support conservation?
Yes: a share of the proceeds from original works and editions supports partner programmes, including Origins Foundation and Explorers Against Extinction.