Barroux studied photography, art, sculpture and architecture in France at the famous Ecole Estienne and Ecole Boule. He went on to work as an art director in Paris and Montreal.

While in Montreal, Barroux began illustrating by creating linocut images and he is now well known for his children's book illustrations.

Barroux has won many international honours, from the 2005 Prix Enfantasie to the PEN Award and the Prix Médecins Sans Frontières in 2015. Born in Paris, he grew up in Morocco.

His sensitivity to the problems facing humanity and the natural world is reflected in many of his books, including Line of Fire with Michael Morpurgo, and Alpha, with Bessora. Most recently he has illustrated Hello! A Counting Book of Kindnesses, by Hollis Kurman, for Otter-Barry Books (2020). Barroux lives in Paris.