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Jean-Claude Arnault

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Photographer

The Resume

    (August 15, 1946- )
    Born in Marseilles, France
    Married to Katarina Frostenson, a member of the Swedish Academy, the organization that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature
    Artistic director of 'The Forum: Contemporary Scene of Culture' in Stockholm
    Newspaper 'Svenska Dagbladet' published accusations of sexual assault from 18 women (2007)
    Convicted on one count of rape and sentenced to two years in jail (October 1, 2018)

Why he might be annoying:

    He dismissed one of his accusers as a 'cunt artist.'
    The Swedish Academy admitted to having known about allegations against him since 1996, but had done nothing.
    He had such a reputation as a groper that when Crown Princess Victoria attended an Academy event, the royal palace sent the Academy a warning that she was not to be left alone in a room with Arnault (2006).
    His Forum received funding from the Academy, prompting allegations of conflict of interest violations.
    He allegedly leaked to bettors the names of seven upcoming laureates, including Harold Pinter (2005) and Bob Dylan (2016).
    He was found to have made several false claims about his background, including being related to billionaire businessman Bernard Arnault, to have been an opera director in France, and to have played an important role in the May 1968 riots in France.
    Even his status as a photographer was called into question: he has never had an exhibition of his work, and his only photos to be published appeared in three of his wife's books of poetry.
    The scandals resulted in so many resignations and firings from the Swedish Academy that the awarding of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature was delayed for a year.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His parents were Russian refugees.
    Of eight sexual assault claims filed against him, seven were dropped, either for a lack of evidence or because the statute of limitations had elapsed.
    The Swedish Academy noted that it had never paid money directly to him.
    He received the Order of the Polar Star, given to foreigners who have worked 'for the good of the kingdom.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 49 Votes: 51.02% Annoying