Doctor in History of Art, curator, and editor-in-chief for the press magazine, he is fascinated by travel and photography since his youth.
Since 1991, his photographs have been published in the press and many of his pieces have been exhibited in France (Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Institut Lumière, Paris Photo, ...) and abroad (Guangdong Museum of Art, Photo Beijing, Paris Photo Los Angeles, ...).
François Fontaine - whose favorite themes are personal journeys, poetry and dreams - has created a timeless photographic oeuvre letting itself be guided by his intuitions and emotions.
His ideas are drawn from a combination of a lifelong passion for traveling and the photographer’s artistic, cinematic and literary experiences.
Fontaine’s work can be found in many collections :
Bibliothèque Nationale de France ; Maison Européenne de la Photographie ; Galeries Fnac ; Fondation Hermès ; Leica Camera ; Maison Robert Doisneau ; Institut Lumière ; Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou.
François Fontaine was honored as finalist with several awards :
Prix Niépce 2017 (Nominated)
Prix International Planète Albert Kahn 2017 (Nominated)
Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2006 (Finalist)
Prix CCF 2005 (Finalist)
Luis Valtueña Award 2002 (Finalist)
Prix Kodak de la critique photographique 1997 (Finalist)
He is represented in Paris by Agence VU’ and the A. Galerie
Individual exhibitions
2017
Rêve d'Orient, Maison de la Chine, Paris
Supernature, Hôtel Jules & Jim, Paris
2016
Supernature, Hermès, Paris
Silenzio!, Leica Galerie, Vienna
2015
Rêve d’Orient, Compagnie Française de l'Orient et de la Chine, Paris
Rêve d’Orient, Promenades Photographiques, Vendôme, France
Silenzio!, Leica Gallery, West Hollywood, Los Angeles
Silenzio!, Paramount Pictures Studios, Paris Photo Los Angeles, California
2014
L’heure bleue à Paris, Hôtel Prince de Galles-Leica Camera, Paris
Silenzio!, Espace Leica, Grand Palais, Paris Photo, Paris
Silenzio!, Nordic Light International Festival of Photography, Kristiansund, Norway
2013
Silenzio!, Salon du Cinéma du Panthéon, Paris
Silenzio!, Galerie photo de l'Institut Lumière, Lyon, France
Silenzio!, Hôtel Jules & Jim, Paris
2012
Silenzio! Mémoires de cinéma, A. galerie, Mois de la Photo, Paris
Japanese Whispers, Compagnie Française de l'Orient et de la Chine, Paris
2011
Chine. Une journée à la plage, Festival Chroniques Nomades, Honfleur, France
Lost in China, Château d'Agecroft, Mandelieu-La Napoule, France
Chine. Une journée à la plage, Uah^, Paris
2009
Les fleurs de la nuit, Atri Festival, Abruzzes, Italy
Statuaire, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris
2008
Lost in China, Photo Beijing (Contemporary Photography Art Fair), Beijing, China
Photo Residence of GDMOA, Musée d’Art du Guangdong, Guangzhou, Chine
2007
Lost in China, Parcours Parisien de la Photographie (PPP), galerie Claude Samuel, Paris ; Festival Chroniques Nomades, Honfleur, France
2005
De profundis, Galerie Claude Samuel, Paris
Les fleurs de la nuit, projection à la Photo Biennial de Guangzhou, Chine
Au fil du Mékong, Les ateliers Hermès, Paris
2003
Les fleurs de la nuit, Galerie Claude Samuel, Paris
2002
Los olvidados, Aids 2002 Barcelona, Palau de Congressos, Barcelona, Spain
Las flores de la noche, PhothoGalería, PHotoEspaña 02, Madrid
2001
Madrid : Poésie urbaine, Galerie Claude Samuel, Paris
Madrid : poésie urbaine, Galerie Jean-Edmond Bernard, Avignon, Paris
De Grenade à Phnom-Penh, Maison Robert Doisneau, Gentilly, France
2000
Madrid : Poésie urbaine, Estudio Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Madrid
Collaborative exhibitions
2017
Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of Leica Photography, Espacio Fundación Telefónica, Madrid
Im Licht der Scheinwerfer, Leica Galerie, Salzburg, Austria
2016
The West Is The Best, A. galerie, Paris
Im Licht der Scheinwerfer, Leica, Leitz Park, Wetzlar, Germany
Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of Leica Photography, Versicherungskammer, Munich, Germany ; Galeria Municipal do Porto, Jardins do Palácio de Cristal, Porto, Portugal
2015
Suis mon regard, Galerie Vu', Paris
Silenzio!, VU’ Collection, Hôtel Royal Monceau, Paris
Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of Leica Photography, Fotografie Forum, Frankfurt, Germany ; C/O Berlin Foundation ; WestLicht Museum for Photography et OstLicht Gallery for Photography, Vienna, Austria
2014
Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of Leica Photography, Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Museum, Hambourg, Germany
36 Photo Icons, Leica, Leitz Park, Wetzlar, Germany
Lost in Asia, Art Paris Art Fair
2013
From Athena to Aphrodite, Torch Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2011
Lost in China, Festival Fotofest, Bursa, Turkey
2010
Ensemble !, SER Gallery, Tokyo, Japon
Picto 1950-2010, Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie, Arles, France
2009
Galerie Catherine Houard invite VU’, galerie Catherine Houard, Paris
Summer Time, galerie Basia Embiricos, Paris
Pol/A, galerie Nivet-Carzon, Paris
2008
Don de Vie, chapelle de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Mois de la Photo 2008, Paris
A Focus on Photography, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris
2007
Portfolios, Librairie d'Art, Arcurial, Paris
2006
Lost in China, prix Leica Oskar Barnack, Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie, Arles
Histoire de chaussures, Handicap Internationnal, Artcurial, Paris
Le visage caché du monde, Festival International Smetanova Litomysl, Czech republic
2005
Les fleurs de la nuit, magazine Minotaure, galerie Basia Embiricos, Paris
2004
Fleurs et Sens, galerie Claude Samuel, Arco'04, Madrid
2003
Las Flores de la noche, Arco’03, Madrid ; Festival International de Recherche Artistique
Observatori, Valencia, Spain
2002
Las flores de la noche, prix Luis Valtueña, Academia de Bellas Artes de San
Fernando, Madrid
Madrid : poésie urbaine, Espace Jean Bart, Lille, France
2000
Madrid : poesía urbana, Espacio Fourquet, PHotoEspaña 00, Madrid
1999
Imàgenes para la dignidad, Renfe, PHotoEspaña 99, Madrid
1997
Les prisons de Phnom-Penh, prix Kodak de la Critique Photographique, Galerie Claude
Samuel, Paris
Cartes blanches
Philharmonie de Paris, 2015-2017 : Week-end des Musiques à l'image, Paris
Hermès, 2015 : Supernature, Miami and Paris
Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 2013 : Cartier, Le Style et l'Histoire, Grand Palais, Paris
Leica and Hôtel Prince de Galles, 2013 : Destination Stories, Paris
Weston, 2008 : Tokyo and Kyoto
François Fontaine, whose favorite themes are the personal journey, poetry and dreams, has created a timeless photographic oeuvre that draws inspiration intuitively from and in response to encounters with different events, cultures and peoples. Ideas are drawn from a combination of a lifelong passion for travel and the photographer’s artistic, cinematic and literary experiences.