Jean-Jacques Sempé

Jean-Jacques Sempé: The Legendary Illustrator

While you may recognize his signaturedrawings from publications like The New Yorker, once upon a time Jean-Jacques Sempé was riding his bike around his native Gironde region and, later,getting in trouble with his superiors in the army for drawing while on watch. His countryside upbringing and his subsequent citylife in Paris, living in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood of the 6th arrondissement, have clearly influenced his work.His fame in the States came primarily from the New Yorker, but he was already known in France by this point, having illustrated a series of children’s books written by
René Goscinny, creator of the Astérix comic books. Still living in Paris, today his works, a mix of watercolors and pen & ink, are a whimsical, humorist take on the issues of the modern world, along with his more decorative drawings.