Jacques Gautreau began his career in photography as a teenager growing up near Angers, France. He has made photographs in locations on six continents, from Mexico to Mauritius to Tasmania. His career in medical imaging technology brought him from Paris to Knoxville in 2004. He has published his work in several anthologies, including Knoxville, Green by Nature (2013). He has shown his work in several exhibitions since his 2006 Knoxville premiere at the Emporium: Knoxville Through French Eyes.

In 2024, his work has been awarded by Photolucida Critical Mass TOP50.

Gautreau became a U.S. citizen in 2016 and lives in Knoxville with his wife, Julie Gautreau.