Jean-Claude Arnault

Jean-Claude Arnault (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ klod aʁno]; born 15 August 1946), known in Swedish media as kulturprofilen ("the cultural personage", but commonly translated literally as "the cultural profile"), is a French-Swedish convicted sex offender. He worked as a photographer and is the former artistic director of the cultural center Forum – Nutidsplats för kultur ("Forum – Contemporary Scene for Culture") Stockholm.

Arnault became widely known after several accusations of sexual assault levelled against him precipitated a scandal resulting in the resignations of members of the Nobel Committee and the postponement of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature. These events occurred against the background of the Me Too movement. In 2018, he was found guilty of two sexual assaults and sentenced to two years and six months in prison. He appealed the sentence to the Supreme Court of Sweden on the basis of judicial disqualification. On 5 May 2019, the court decided not to grant leave to appeal and the verdict from the lower court was subsequently enforced.

Life

Arnault was born in Marseille, France. He won Natur & Kultur's cultural award in 2008. He is married to former Swedish Academy member Katarina Frostenson.

Sexual assault allegations and rape conviction

In November 2017, in the wake of the Me Too movement, eighteen women accused Arnault of sexual assault, alleged to have occurred over the course of 20 years. This caused the Swedish Academy to break all financial ties with him. Swedish media have reported that he groped Swedish Crown Princess Victoria at an academy event in 2006.