Loading...

00 : 00 : 01

by François Fontaine

14%

the art of blur

Few Words About me

French photographe born in 1968, distributed by Agence VU’ since 2008 and member since 2020, lives in Paris.

As an art history PhD, curator and editor-in chief for press magazines, François Fontaine early develops a special interest in travels and photography. From 1998 to 2002 he settles down in Madrid where he asserts his own photographic style and anchors his practice in a truly professional dimension. Inspired by his encounters and long terms journeys – especially in Far East where he initially followed the footsteps of his father who used to be a naval officer – François Fontaine, transposes  “the reality of what is perceived in a symphony of colors and sensations, where poetry and reverie dominate“. Made by intuitions, by feelings, but also by pictorial and cinematographic recollections, his body of work invites in some timeless, chromatic and dreamlike journeys. In 2012 Les Editions de l’Oeil published “Silenzio !” his photo essay on cinema and what it conveys : memory, dream, fantasy… Among numerous exhibitions, this works is presented within the framework of Leica centenary. In 2015 his second monographic book is published by Editions Filigranes. “Rêve d’orient" gathers three works made between 2005 and 2008 (“Transsiberian“, “Lost in China” and “Japanese Whispers“) and unveils a dateless and poetic vision of Asia.

In 2018, he resumed his reflection on cinema with his series “Icones” which pays tribute to the greatest female and male stars of the 7th art and is published by Éditions La Pionnière. In 2021, the photographer publishes “Pulsions” with Éditions La Pionnière in which he explores the power of images to awaken desire and passion. Frequently exhibited in France and abroad, running for prestigious prizes (Leica Oskar Barnack or Niépce prizes among others), his works are part of renowned collections such as those of Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Hermès Fondation, Fnac galleries, Leica Camera, Maison de la Photographie Robert Doisneau, Institut Lumière or Guangdong Art Museum.

Some of my exhibitions


Silenzio!

2014

  • Name

  • Bibliothèque Nationale de France

    Épreuves de la matière

    Paris

    2023

  • Festival Hors Pistes, Centre Pompidou

    Voir la guerre et faire la paix

    Paris

    2023

  • Salon du Panthéon

    Icônes

    Paris

    2020

  • Cité de l’image

    Cosmos

    Grand-Duché de Luxembourg

    2019

  • Photaumnales

    Supernature

    Beauvais

    2019

  • A. galerie

    California Dream

    Paris

    2019

  • Leica Galerie

    Rêve d’Orient

    Lille

    2019

  • Compagnie Française de l'Orient et de la Chine

    Japanese Whispers

    Paris

    2018

  • Leica Galerie

    Im Licht der Scheinwerfer

    Salzburg

    2017

  • La Maison de la Chine

    Rêve d’Orient

    Paris

    2017

  • Hermès

    Supernature

    Paris

    2016

  • Leica Leitz Park

    Im Licht der Scheinwerfer

    Wetzlar

    2016

  • Leica Galerie

    Silenzio!

    Vienna

    2016

  • Leica Gallery, West Hollywood

    Silenzio!

    Los Angeles

    2015

  • Paris Photo Los Angeles, Paramount Pictures

    Silenzio!

    Los Angeles

    2015

  • Promenades Photographiques

    Rêve d’Orient

    Vendôme

    2015

  • Paris Photo, Grand Palais, Espace Leica

    Silenzio!

    Paris

    2014

  • 100 Years of Leica Photography, Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Museum

    Eyes Wide Open!

    Hamburg

    2014

  • Leica Leitz Park

    36 Photo Icons

    Wetzlar

    2014

  • Nordic Light International Festival of Photography

    Silenzio!

    Kristiansund

    2014

  • Galerie photo de l'Institut Lumière

    Silenzio!

    Lyon

    2013

  • Salon du Panthéon

    Silenzio!

    Paris

    2013

  • Mémoires de cinéma, A. galerie, Mois de la Photo

    Silenzio!

    Paris

    2012

  • Compagnie Française de l'Orient et de la Chine

    Japanese Whispers

    Paris

    2012

  • Maison Européenne de la Photographie

    Statuaire

    Paris

    2009

  • Photo Beijing, Contemporary Photography Art Fair

    Lost in China

    Beijing

    2008

  • Musée d’Art du Guangdong

    Photo Residence of GDMOA

    Guangzhou

    2008