Jean-François Robert is a French art photographer, writer and musician. Son of an artist and raised in a family of musicians, Jean-François Robert’s interest in art, photography and creative expression grew from a young age. While developing his photographic practice and exhibiting his work, he would also pursue a career as a classical musician, and work as a musicologist for the French newspaper Le Monde.
JF bought his first reflex camera at the age of fourteen, and made his first silver prints in a darkroom built in a closet. Throughout his life and photographic career, his work has mainly explored the delicate, interconnected relationship between human culture and organic forms. His passion for water naturally led him to specialize in abstract water photography for the last twelve years.
JF has shared his time living between New Zealand and France between 2011 and 2024. Two places in particular, Pupu Springs (New Zealand) and the Vallon de l’Aiguebrun (France), have become the key subjects of his work. Pupu Springs are a sacred Maori place (Tapu), and are known for being one of the purest natural water sources in the world. Similarly, the Vallon de l’Aiguebrun in Provence has been supporting human life and culture for over 80,000 years.
Jean-François Robert’s photographs have been exhibited in galleries and are held in private collections around the world, including Paris, Geneva, London, Berlin, Brussels, New York, San Francisco, Tel Aviv, Auckland.
In 2021, 2022 and 2023, JF had dedicated exhibition space at the «Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles» (off), where he showcased over ten years of his abstract photography. In 2021, his exhibition «Évidences» was described as a highlight of the Rencontres d’Arles by the newspaper La Provence.