What was Jean-Luc Godard famous for?

Jean Luc Godard was famous as the influential French New Wave writer-director who broke new ground in cinematic expression in the 1960s with films such as Breathless, Contempt and Weekend and became a building light to fellow filmmakers throughout his more than  six-decade career.

During his early career as a film critic for the influential magazine, Cahiers du Cinema, Godard criticised mainstream French cinema’s Tradition of Quality, which emphasised established convention over innovation and experimentation.

Godard has been recognised as one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century and one of the leaders of the French New Wave.

On December 4, 2019, an art installation piece created by Godard opened at the Fondazione Prada in Milan.

Godard was married twice, to actresses Anna Karina and Anna Wiazemsky, both of whom starred in several of his films.