Jacques Bouyssou was born near Honfleur in 1926. As a child, he came into contact with several artists who were close family acquaintances, including Raoul Dufy and Othon Friesz, both of whom encouraged and shaped his early interest in painting. He initially trained in architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Troyes before moving to Paris to focus fully on painting, studying at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière under the guidance of Othon Friesz.

In 1955, Bouyssou held his first solo exhibition in London, and shortly afterwards the distinguished Paris dealer Katia Granoff invited him to exhibit at her gallery—marking the beginning of a long and productive collaboration, with numerous one-man shows organised on his behalf.

He was appointed official painter to the French Navy (Peintre de la Marine) in 1973, and his work is represented in the Musée de la Marine in Paris. Over the course of his career, he exhibited widely at the major Paris Salons and internationally, including in the United States, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, Brazil, and Venezuela.

One critic noted of his work that he “captures fleeting light and atmosphere with remarkable sensitivity.” His compositions are underpinned by a refined and harmonious use of colour, creating a distinctive sense of light and balance.

Throughout his life, Bouyssou received numerous awards for his painting, and in 1990 he was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur. His work is held in major public collections, including the Musée d’Art Moderne and Musée de la Marine in Paris, the Bibliothèque Nationale, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the New York Public Library, and museums in Honfleur, Rouen, and Montreal.