John French (Barcelona, 2019)
John French is an artist, graphic designer, illustrator, and photographer from Melbourne. He left Australia in 1985 after completing an apprenticeship in fitting and turning. When he arrived in Europe, he saw for the first time the work of modern artists and it completely changed his life.
While living in a squat in Brixton, London, in the mid 1980’s he made regular visits to the Tate Gallery and inspired by what he saw there, he started to make his own art.
He worked as a full time artist from 1992 to 2000 and has had over twenty solo exhibitions in Australia, Spain and Britain. The work in these shows included painting, installation, collage, assemblage as well as photography. Among his favourite artists are Kurt Schwitters and Joaquin Torres Garcia.
Since the 1980’s John has been closely involved with environmental and human rights campaigns, using his creative skills to support these causes. Among other NGOs, he has worked for Oxfam GB, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth as a creative and campaigner.
He graduated in Graphic Design in 2003 at Kingston University in London. He currently lives in Barcelona with his wife and two children, where he works as a teacher and freelance creative.
