Born in 1966 in Decize (Nièvre). Lives in Paris. At the start of the 1980s, Alain Cornu's first passions were drawing and painting. Photography, which he also practiced, quickly became his favorite medium.

After high school studies oriented towards the artistic field, he joined GOBELINS, the school of image in Paris, where he has studied photographic technique for 2 years. He graduated with honours in 1988 and continued his training by assisting several Parisian photographers before settling down as a professional in 1991.

From then on, his work follows two distinct and complementary paths. First, in addition to projects of still lifes and portraits, he carries out at his studio many commissioned works, advertising campaigns and publications for major brands (Champagne Veuve Clicquot, Total, Renault, SFR, Orange, Gaz de France, BNP Paribas, etc.). Second, he goes outside to work on the landscape. His series about the Forest was rewarded in 2007 by the Kodak Talent Grant and by the audience prize at the Montpellier Festival in 2010. He exhibited his works at the Canton Biennale (China), at the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, in the National Library of France as well as in several French cities: Nantes, Arles, Vienne. His series Sur Paris (Over Paris), presented at the Thierry Bigaignon gallery in 2016, was published as a book.

His works are present in the collections of the National Library of France and the National Contemporary Art Fund.