JR

Profile Overview

Jean-René (born 22 February 1983) known by his pseudonym, JR (French pronunciation: [ʒi ɛʁ]) is a French photographer and street artist who began his career on the streets of Paris. His moniker is derived from his first name, Jean-René. He is known for flyposting large black-and-white photographic images in public spaces. Referring to himself as a photograffeur—a portmanteau of "photographer" and the French word for graffiti artist—JR has described the street as "the largest art gallery in the world." His work often challenges widely held preconceptions and the reductive images propagated by advertising and the media."
JR's work typically explores themes such as identity, freedom, and social participation. He gained early recognition for pasting photographic portraits on buildings and urban structures in Paris, and later expanded his work internationally. He won the 2011 TED Prize, which he used to launch the global Inside Out Project, a participatory art initiative.
Time magazine included JR in its list of the 100 most influential people in 2018.