Jean Frémon

Jean Frémon (born 1946 in Paris) is a French gallerist and writer. His written work spans and fuses genres, and contributed importantly to a trans-genre tendency in contemporary French letters. Working principally in the modes of ekphrasis, art criticism, literary commentary, narrative, and poetry, Frémon is perhaps unique in his fusion of late 20th century experimentalism with the deeply rooted French tradition of belles lettres.

After taking a degree in law, Frémon joined the Galerie Maeght, well known for representing important early and mid-20th century artists such as Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, and Alexander Calder. After the death of its founder, Aimé Maeght, in 1981, Frémon, along with Daniel Lelong and Jacques Dupin, founded the Galerie Lelong,

Galerie Lelong, of which Frémon is now the president, also has a branch in the Chelsea district of New York and participates in all the principal annual international art fairs including Art Basel, Art Basel Miami, and FIAC Paris. Artists shown by the gallery include Etel Adnan, Pierre Alechinsky, Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Nicola De Maria, Jan Dibbets, Günther Förg, Andy Goldsworthy, David Hockney, Donald Judd, Konrad Klapheck, Jannis Kounellis, Wolfgang Laib, Nalini Malani, Ana Mendieta, David Nash, Jaume Plensa, Arnulf Rainer, Robert Ryman, Antonio Saura, Sean Scully, Richard Serra, Kiki Smith, Nancy Spero, Antoni Tàpies, Barthélémy Toguo, and Juan Uslé.

The Work Early in his writing career, Frémon became associated with the experimental developments represented by the independent publisher Paul Otchakovsky-Laurens and his publishing house, P.O.L, which still publishes much of his work. in which he takes artists from the Renaissance to the present as characters and through them explores artists, artworks, and their social and political contexts. He has also addressed the work of other writers, such as Marcel Proust, Robert Walser, Samuel Beckett, and Michel Leiris in homages stretched by imagination. Since 1969, he has published over twenty volumes as well as many catalogue articles and critical essays on contemporary artists.

His work has been translated into English, Spanish, and German, and he has translated two books by David Sylvester, one on Alberto Giacometti and one on Francis Bacon, both published by André Dimanche.