Phaidon's JR Monograph Chronicles French Street Artist's Rise

Updated JR Monograph Chronicles French Street Artist’s Rise to Fame

By Jessica Stewart on September 25, 2024

Trompe-l’oeil. Les Falaises du Trocadéro, Paris, France, 2021. (Photo: artwork © JR)
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Can art change the world? French artist JR asks—and perhaps answers—this question in his comprehensive monograph published by Phaidon. First published in 2015 and later updated in 2019, JR: Can Art Change the World? has once again been updated to include the artist's most recent work.

The 384-page volume, which includes a new foreword by director George Lucas, gives an in-depth look at JR's groundbreaking work. Moving from his early street art to his recent dabbles in the world of dance and cinema, it chronicles his rise as one of the most influential and prolific artists of our time.

Some new additions to the monograph include JR's ongoing Trompe l’œil series, which has seen him create illusions at the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, among other places. Social activism is a strong thread as well, with Tehachapi (2019-20, 2022), a series of murals created in the yard of a California maximum-security prison, and Omelia Contadina (2019-21)—performative events created to shine a light on the destruction of the agricultural landscape and the plight of farmers in Italy—included in the volume for the first time. A new chapter also highlights the artist's recent work regarding the plight of child refugees around the world.

To help tell JR's incredible story, JR: Can Art Change the World? includes a specially commissioned graphic novel by comic artist Joseph Remnant, an updated survey essay by Nato Thompson, and a poetic contribution by Italian film director Alice Rohrwacher.

With a reworking of existing chapters and 140 new images, the updated volume is a must-have for any lover of JR's work. JR: Can Art Change the World? is set for publication in October 2024 and is now available for pre-sale.

Phaidon is releasing an updated monograph focusing on the work of French street artist JR.

JR (Photo: © JR)

JR: Can Art Change the World? gives an in-depth look at JR's groundbreaking work, from his early street art to his recent dabbles in the world of dance and cinema.

Portrait of a Generation, Hold-Up, Ladj Ly, Les Bosquets, Montfermeil, France, 2004. (Photo: artwork © JR)

Face to Face. Separation Wall, Palestinian side, Bethlehem, 2007. (Photo: artwork © JR)

Ballet. The Eye of New York City Ballet, trompe-l’oeil photograph of eighty-one dancers from the New York City Ballet interacting with paper, 2014. (Photo: artwork © JR)