
François
François Fontaine

BIOGRAPHY

French photographe born in 1968, distributed by Agence VU’ since 2008 and member since 2019, lives in Paris (France)
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.
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.
In 2021, the photographer publishes “Pulsions” with Éditions La Pionnière in which he explores the power of images to awaken desire and passion.
In 2024, with “Eden”, he produced a series on nature in Japan.
SEries


Illusion, 2022

Cabaret, 2021

Impulses, 2021

Icônes, 2018

Witness, 2017

American Dreams, 2016

Cosmos, 2016

California Dream, 2016

Supernature, 2015

Silenzio!, 2012

The Holy Hour, 2010

The Ghost Ship, 2010

Rêve d'Orient, 2008

Les Christs de Salvador, 2004

Night's Flowers, 2001

Eden, 2024

Illusion, 2022

Cabaret, 2021

Impulses, 2021

Icônes, 2018

Witness, 2017

American Dreams, 2016

Cosmos, 2016

California Dream, 2016

Supernature, 2015

Silenzio!, 2012

The Holy Hour, 2010

The Ghost Ship, 2010

Rêve d'Orient, 2008

Les Christs de Salvador, 2004

Night's Flowers, 2001

Eden, 2024

Illusion, 2022

Cabaret, 2021

Impulses, 2021

Icônes, 2018

Witness, 2017

American Dreams, 2016

Cosmos, 2016

California Dream, 2016

Supernature, 2015

Silenzio!, 2012

The Holy Hour, 2010

The Ghost Ship, 2010

Rêve d'Orient, 2008

Les Christs de Salvador, 2004

Night's Flowers, 2001
Interviews
Inside : François Fontaine
Hans Lucas studio
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2016
Hans Lucas and Findspire studio have joined forces to produce a series entitled “Inside”, on the occasion of the Rencontres d’Arles 2015. The aim of this production was to use the largest French event around photography as a pretext and to conduct about sixty interviews with personalities from the world of photography. Today, we continue the diffusion with François Fontaine, photographer.
François Fontaine – Silenzio !
The Leica Camera blog
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Interview directed by the Leica Internet team, 2014
On the occasion of the exhibition of his “Silenzio!” series at the Leica space during the famous Paris Photo fair at the Grand Palais, he discusses the origin and elaboration of this work, which is both a tribute to cinema and a focus on memory.
EXHIBITIONS
Icônes
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Cinéma du Panthéon, 75005 Paris (FRANCE)
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From October 16 2019 to Summer 2021
Supernature
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LES PHOTAUMNALES, Beauvais (FRANCE)
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From September 28 2019 to January 5 2020
Rêve d’Orient
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La Maison de la Chine – 75006 Paris (FRANCE)
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From April 10 to June 17 2017
BOOKS

Pulsions

Icônes

Rêve d'orient

Silenzio !

Les Fleurs de la nuit

Pulsions

Icônes

Rêve d'orient

Silenzio !

Les Fleurs de la nuit

Pulsions

Icônes

Rêve d'orient

Silenzio !
