About JR
Biography
JR has the largest art gallery in the world. Thanks to his photographic collage technique, he exhibits his work free of charge on the walls of the whole world – attracting the attention of those who do not usually go to museums.
Originator of the 28 Millimeters Project which he started in and around Clichy-Montfermeil in 2004, continued in the Middle East with Face 2 Face (2007), in Brazil and Kenya for Women Are Heroes (2008-2011), the documentary for which was presented at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 (Critics' Week).
JR makes his TED Prize wish public at the TED 2011 conference
JR au Louvre, 2016
JR has created "Infiltrating art". During his collage activities, the local communities take part in the act of artistic creation, with no stage separating actors from spectators. The anonymity of JR and the absence of any explanation accompanying his huge portraits leave him with a free space in which issues and actors, performers and passers-by meet, forming the essence of his work.
In 2011 he received the Ted Prize, giving him the opportunity to make a vow to change the world. He created Inside Out, an international participatory art project that allows people from around the world to receive a print of their portrait and then billboard it as support for an idea, a project, an action and share that experience.
In 2014, working with the New York City Ballet, he used the language of dance to tell his version of the riots in the Clichy-Montfermeil district. He created The Groves, a ballet and short film, the music for which was composed by Woodkid, Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams, and which was presented at the Tribeca Film Festival.
At the same time, JR worked in the abandoned hospital of Ellis Island, an important place in the history of immigration – and made the short film ELLIS, with Robert De Niro.
In 2016, JR was invited by the Louvre, whose pyramid he made disappear the with the help of an astonishing anamorphosis. The same year, during the Olympic Games in Rio, he created gigantic new sculptural installations throughout the city, to underline the beauty of the sporting gesture.
Agnès Varda and JR, FACES, PLACES - 2017
Agnès Varda and JR, FACES, PLACES - 2017
JR & Agnès Varda - Faces, Places.
In 2017, he co-directed with Agnès Varda "Faces, Place"s, screened the same year in the official selection out of competition for the Cannes Film Festival. The film won the Golden Eye (for best documentary) and was nominated for a Caesar and an Oscar in the same category in 2018. He has received other awards around the world.
"Unveiling", Seoul, 2019. Exhibition view. Courtesy Perrotin. Photographer: Claire Dorn
In 2013, the first retrospectives of JR's work took place in Tokyo (at the Watari-Um Museum) and the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, followed by exhibitions at the Frieder Burda Museum in Baden Baden in 2014, and at the HOCA Foundation in Hong Kong in 2015. He exhibited in 2018 at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, and in 2019 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Brooklyn Museum.
JR is represented by Perrotin, PACE Gallery, Galleria Continua and Nara Roesler.
Bibliography
2023 - Artist Until I Find a Real Job
Atelier JR
2023 - JR / Déplacé·e·s
Skira
2022 - JR Chronicles
Hirmer Verlag Publishers
2021 - JR Chronicles
W BOOKS
2021 - JR. La Ferita / The Wound
Marsilio Editori
2021 - How old am I ?
Phaidon
2020 - JR / Tehachapi
Maison CF
2019 – JR : Chronicles
Maison CF
2019 – Wrinkles
Phaidon
2019 – JR : Can Art Change the World?
Revised and expanded edition, Phaidon
2019 – JR : The Chronicles of New York City
Chronicles Books
2019 – JR : The Chronicles of San Francisco
Chronicles Books
2018 – JR : Momentum, la mécanique de l'épreuve
Maison CF
2018 – JR Giants : OG Rio
Actes Sud
2018 – Time Magazine, Guns in America
November 5 2018
2018 – Reporter Sans Frontières
JR 100 photos pour la liberté de la presse, Numéro 58
2017 – Inside Out
Rizzoli
2015 – JR : Can Art Change the World?
Phaidon
2015 – The Ghost of Ellis Island
Damiani
2015 – Dans l’objectif de JR
Pour les 11-15 ans, publié par Pyramides Éditions
2015 – Wrinkles of the City
Des rides et des villes, Editions Alternatives
2014 – Instaphotographers 2014
JR et 49 autres photographes instagrameurs. Jérémy Leclerc
2013 – Unframed Belle de mai
Marseille, Editions Alternatives
2012 – Wrinkles of the City - Los Angeles
JR + Louise Berrebi, Drago
2012 – Wrinkles of the City - La Havana
JR + José Parlá, Damiani
2012 – Wrinkles of the City – Shanghai
Drago
2011 – Artocratie en Tunisie
JR + Marco Berrebi, Éditions Alternatives
2011 – 28 Millimètres
Editions Alternatives
2010 – Wrinkles of the City - Shanghai
Drago
2010 – Design&Designer
Éditions Pyramyd, no 075
2010 – 28 Millimètres
Women are Heroes by JR, Éditions Alternatives, 2nd Édition
2010 – Beyond the Street
« The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art »'', Éditions Gestalten
2010 – Hors Série #4
Trois Couleurs, Numéro Spécial JR, Édité par MK2, 2010
2009 – 28 Millimètres
Women are Heroes by JR, Éditions Alternatives
2008 – Los Surcos de la Ciudad
Drago
2007 – Face 2 Face
Éditions Alternatives
2005 – Portrait d'une Génération
Éditions Alternatives
2004 – Carnet de Rue
Édition Free Presse
Filmography
2022 - The Past Goes Fast
2021 - Paper & Glue
2020 - Omelia Contadina
Codirected with Alice Rohrwacher
2017 – Faces Places
Codirected with Agnes Varda
2017 – Chroniques de Clichy Montfermeil
Codirected with Ladj Ly
2015 – Ellis
2015 – The Standing March
2014 – Rivages
Directed by Guillaume Cagniard
2014 – Les Bosquets
2013 – Inside Out
The people’s art project, directed by Alastair Siddons
2013 – Wrinkles of the City
Havana Cuba, codirected with José Parla
2011 – Women are Heroes
Exhibitions
2023 - Galleria Continua - "La Ferita"
Rome, Italy
2023 - Lotte Museum of Art - "JR: Chronicles"
Seoul, South Korea
2023 - Nara Roesler - "O papel da mão"
São Paulo, Brazil
2023 - Perrotin - "LES ENFANTS D’OURANOS"
New York City, USA
2023 - Gallerie d'Italia - "Déplacé·e·s"
Turin, Italy
2022 - Kunsthalle München - "JR: Chronicles"
Munich, Germany
2021 - Groninger Museum - "JR: Chronicles"
Groningen, Netherlands
2021 - Perrotin - "Contretemps"
Tokyo, Japan
2021 - Simon Studer Art - "Black and White"
Geneva, Switzerland
2021 - Saatchi Gallery - "JR: Chronicles"
London, UK
2021 - Pace - "JR: Eye to the World"
London, UK
2021 - Galleria Continua - "Truc à faire", curated by JR
Paris, France
2020 - NGV Triennial - "Homily to Country"
Melbourne, Australia
2020 - Galleria Continua - "Omelia Contadina"
San Gimignano, Italy
2020 - Perrotin - "Tehachapi"
Paris, France
2019 - Nara Roesler - "Patamar"
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2019 - Brooklyn Museum – "JR: Chronicles"
New York, NY, USA
2019 - Perrotin - "The Chronicles of New York City – Sketches"
New York, NY, USA
2019 - Musée du Louvre "JR au Louvre & le secret de la grande pyramide"
Paris, France
2019 - SFMOMA - "The Chronicles of San Francisco"
San Francisco, CA, USA
2019 - Pace - "The Chronicles of San Francisco - Sketches"
Palo Alto, CA, USA
2019 - Perrotin- "Unveiling"
Seoul, South Korea
2018 - Maison Européenne de la Photographie - "MOMENTUM. La Mécanique de l'Épreuve"
Paris, France
2018 - Perrotin - "Horizontal"
New York, NY, USA
2018 - J1 - "Amor Fati"
Marseille, France
2018 - Armory, Pier 94 - "So Close"
New York, NY, USA
2018 - Lazinc Gallery - "Giants - Body of Work"
London, UK
2017 - Château La Coste - "Mind the Gap"
Le Puy Ste Réparade, France
2017 - Palais de Tokyo - "Chroniques de Clichy-Montfermeil"
Paris, France
2017 - Galerie Perrotin - "Wrinkles of the City Istanbul"
Paris, France
2017 - Springmann Gallery - "The Wrinkles of the City, Istanbul – Body of Work"
Berlin, Germany
2016 - Centre Pompidou, GALERIE DES ENFANTS - "VOUS ÊTES ICI"
Paris, France
2016 - Musée du Louvre - "JR au Louvre"
Paris, France
2015 - Watari-Um Museum - "JR's Picture Show. 24 Frames per Second"
Tokyo, Japan
2015 - Perrotin - "DECADE. Portrait d'une génération"
Paris, France,
2015 - Tri Postal Lille - "Unframed : La Voix du Nord"
Lille, France
2015 - Lazarides Rathbone - "Crossing"
London, UK
2015 - Nuit Blanche Toronto - "JR Black and White Night"
Toronto, Canada
2015 - Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation, HOCA - "A Survey Exhibition"
Hong Kong, China
2015 - Galerie Perrotin - "Ghosts of Ellis Island"
Hong Kong, China
2015 - Centro de Arte Contemporaneo, CAC Malaga - "Uprising - An Inside Out project"
Malaga, Spain
2014 - Frieder Burda Museum - "JR"
Baden-Baden, Germany
2014 - Magda Danysz Gallery - "Close up"
Shanghai, China
2014 - Power Station of Art - "CLOSE-UP SHANGHAI - A PROJECT BY JR"
Shanghai, China
2014 - Dallas Contemporary - "Inside Out"
Dallas, TX, USA
2013 - Contemporary Arts Center - "JR"
Cincinnati, OH, USA
2013 - Watari-Um Museum
Tokyo, Japan
2013 - SPRINGMANN GALLERY - "The Wrinkles of the City, Berlin"
Berlin, Germany
2013 - Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery - "The Wrinkles of the City, Havana" JR & José Parla
New York, NY, USA
2013 - Lazarides Rathbone - "Actions"
London, UK
2013 - Belle de Mai - "Unframed"
Marseille, France
2012 - Galerie Perrotin - "Pattern"
Hong Kong, China
2012 - Festival Images
Vevey, Switzerland
2011 - Miami Art Basel, Galerie Perrotin - "Wall & Paper"
Miami, FL, USA
2011 - Centre Pompidou - Photo Booth installation
Paris, France
2011 - Galerie Perrotin - "Encrages"
Paris, France
2011 - MOCA - Art in the streets
Los Angeles, CA, USA
2011 - Emirati Expressions
Abu Dhabi, UAE
2011 - Les Rencontres d'Arles
Arles, France
2010 - Contemporary Art Biennal, in collaboration with Magda Danysz
Shanghai, China
2010 - Musée de l'Elysée, Festival Images - "Unframed"
Vevey, Switzerland
2010 - Museum of Contemporary Art of San Diego - "VIVA LA REVOLUCION: A DIALOGUE WITH THE URBAN LANDSCAPE"
San Diego, CA, USA
2010 - Lazarides Gallery - "Outsiders"
Los Angeles, CA, USA
2010 - Springmann Gallery - "Women are Heroes"
Dusseldorf, Germany
2009 - Ile Saint-Louis, Pavillon de l'Arsenal, Mairie du 4e arrondissement - "Women are Heroes"
Paris, France
2009 - Les Rencontres d'Arles
Arles, France
2009 - CASA FRANÇA BRASIL
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
2008 - Tate Modern - Street Art exhibition
London, UK
2008 - Musée Rath
Geneva, Switzerland
2008 - The Wrinkles of The City, Los Surcos de la Ciudad
Cartagena, Spain
2008 - Action In Brussels - "Women are Heroes"
Brussels, Belgium
2008 - Lazarides Gallery - "28 Millimetres: Women"
London, UK
2007 - Les Rencontres d'Arles
Arles, France
2007 - FOAM Museum
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2007 - La Biennale Arte di Venezia, Arsenal
Venice, Italy
2007 - Artitud
Berlin, Germany
2007 - Artcurial
Paris, France
2006 - Performance - "JR and co"
Wuppertal, Germany
2006 - Parvis de l'Hôtel de Ville de Paris
Paris, France
2006 - 11 Spring - "Sidewalk Gallery"
Manhattan, NY, USA
2006 - Murs de la Maison Européenne de la Photographie
Paris, France
2006 - Murs de l'Espace des Blancs Manteaux
Paris, France
2005 - CircleCulture
Berlin, Germany
2005 - Montanashop
Barcelona, Spain
2005 - Les Muses
Paris, France
2004 - The Arcade
Manhattan, NY, USA
2003 - La Loge
Paris, France
