Jean-Marc and Cynthia Fray
Jean-Marc is a French native from Nice, where the Mediterranean sea, the local art and architecture served as constant sources of inspiration for his artistic heart. With a gift for languages (he speaks four fluently) and a passion for history, he pursued a degree in the Business of Tourism and promptly landed a job with French cruise line Croisieres Paquet. For ten years he traveled the world, based out of Paris and Lyon, where he lived with his American wife, Cynthia. Weekends were spent scouring the local flea markets and auction houses for antiques, a family passion, which he restored himself and accumulated in increasing abundance for his home and that of his parents. Business opportunity, family and a burning desire for working with art and antiques brought Jean-Marc to Austin, TX in 1995 where he started his French antiques business from scratch. Fifteen years later, he’s still at it with a passion. In the rare moments when he's not buying, selling, restoring or just thinking about antiques, he's most likely hanging out with his daughters, painting, or on the petanque field with unflappable focus.
Cynthia is a native Texan, born in Dallas, but raised in the Pacific Northwest. While studying Business and French at the University of Washington she developed a passion for all things French including a Frenchman by the name of Jean-Marc Fray, whom she met during a study abroad program in the south of France. Upon graduating, she moved to France where she married and lived with Jean-Marc, working in advertising for an agency in Paris then later for Apple Computer France. They moved to Austin, TX with their eldest daughter Leslie in 1995 to open their French antiques business with family nearby. When she’s not at work or keeping up with their now two daughters (Juliette arrived in ’97), she can most often be found in the kitchen, satisfying another fervent passion: cooking.
Jean-Noel Fray
Jean-Noel was born and raised in beautiful Nice, France near the sea. After earning his Baccalaureat with a concentration in literature, art history and languages (fluent Italian and English) he followed his dream to live and study in Paris where he enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux Arts Paris La Seine, in the district of St. Germain. There he pursued a degree in Architecture where his love for art, drawing and design would blossom and flourish. During his studies, he often accompanied his brother, Jean-Marc Fray, to the antique markets and auctions when Jean-Marc was in France on buying trips. He mastered the art of furniture restoration under his brother’s eye and developed the family passion for antiques. When he returned to Nice five years later, he continued working for Jean-Marc and managed his operations in France. Jean-Noel moved to Austin in 2009 to join the business full-time. His keen sense of design aesthetic and knowledge of antiques are constantly at work in the gallery, where he designs and creates living spaces with furniture, lighting and art like a true artist. When he’s not at work, chances are you’ll find him running around Town Lake or, if he's in France, soaking up the sun on the beaches of the Cote d'Azur.
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