Born in
Nancy in 1933, Lelong was the son of a government official. He studied at the
Collège-lycée Jacques-Decour in
Paris and the
Sciences Po. After his studies, he worked for the ''
Conseil d'État'', becoming acquainted with several French political figures, such as
Pierre Mendès France. During the
Algerian War, Lelong was the secretary to the wife of General . In 1960, he returned to Paris, where he met
Aimé Maeght. The two worked together on the construction of the
Fondation Maeght in
Saint-Paul-de-Vence. The gallery hosted artists such as
Joan Miró,
Alexander Calder,
Antoni Tàpies,
Paul Rebeyrolle, and
Francis Bacon. After Maeght's death, he co-directed the gallery alongside Jean Frémon and
Jacques Dupin. In 1987, he attempted to rename it to the Galerie Lelong, but lost a legal battle against Maeght's son, forcing him to return the gallery to its original name.
Jannis Kounellis,
Sean Scully,
Kiki Smith, and
Jaume Plensa. In 1980, he worked alongside artists to create the official poster for the
French Open. In 1982, he chose the artists to design the poster for the
World Cup. In the 2000s, the contemporary art market was booming, growing the gallery's sales rapidly. In 2018, he opened a new second gallery on the
Avenue Montaigne in Paris. Lelong died on 4 June 2025, at the age of 91. ==Distinctions==