Frédéric Forest grew up in Annecy, a city often referred to as the “Venice of the French Alps.” This picturesque hometown quickly became a subject of much exploration for Frédéric, an imaginative child who spent his free time taking in everything that the world around him had to offer. “Growing up, I drew inspiration from my town’s mountains and streets,” Frédéric says. “We didn’t have exhibitions there; my artistic eye was shaped by everyday activities, like snow- boarding, skateboarding, or surfing while on vacation.” Printed press and magazines played another important role in Frédéric’s artistic education. “As soon as something new landed at the newsstand, it was hysteria. I would travel to Geneva just to read fanzines—they were imported and too expensive to buy. My eyes would scan everything I saw and accumulate all these new images and art in my head, re-creating what I saw on paper.”

Pursuing his passion has carried him a long way. Today, Frédéric is an artist, designer, and creative director based in Paris. In 2008, after various experiences working with Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, and Jean-Marie Massaud, he and Clémentine Giaconia set up their own design consultancy studio FRST (partner with luxury brands), and an eponymous studio Forest & Giaconia (furniture, interior design with editors, and private projects). Alongside the cooperations with international luxury firms, he creates his own art. Evocative and precise, yet minimalist in nature, his drawings have landed him international collaborations with renowned brands such as Chanel and Rains, as well as magazines of the likes of Kinfolk, Vogue, and Cereal. Frédéric’s filigree line drawings seem like sketches at first sight. He focuses on the silhouettes of bodies, landscapes, architecture, and still lifes that are seductive in a minimal kind of way.

Though Frédéric had always been an artist, he had never dreamed of being one. “I didn’t actively seek to turn my art into my professional life. I’ve always drawn and painted for my own pleasure. Up to today, my goal remains to simply express the beauty that I witness.” To this day, Frédéric is still amazed by the popularity of his creations and always surprised to see the use people make of his art. “I had never thought that one day people would get tattoos of my designs. Today, there are more than five thousand throughout the world, Self Love being the most tattooed drawing to this day.”

Recently, Frédéric’s practice has begun to grow beyond drawing, from illustrations to paintings, lithographs, and, more recently, ceramics. “My favorite role is precisely not having one. This allows me to be incessantly stimulated and not dependent on any single medium.” Frédéric Forest is represented by cūra art management.

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