Jean-Jacques Sempé (1932-2022) was a French humorous cartoonist, famous for the tenderness and poetry of his drawings of everyday life. Together with René Goscinny, he created the character of Little Nicholas and drew many covers for The New Yorker.
Sempé
Sempé
6 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born on 17 August 1932 in Bordeaux into a modest family
- In 1959, created the character of Little Nicholas with the writer René Goscinny
- Published his first collection of drawings, Rien n'est simple, in 1962
- Drew more than a hundred covers for The New Yorker magazine from 1978 onward
- Died on 11 August 2022 in France, leaving behind a major body of work in humorous drawing
Works & Achievements
A series of illustrated stories following a schoolboy and his gang of friends, which became a worldwide classic of children's literature.
Sempé's first album of humorous drawings, revealing his tender and mischievous eye for the quirks of everyday life.
A collection of drawings that extends his ironic observation of modern society and its little absurdities.
A story told in drawings, almost without words, tracing the path of an ordinary man; one of his most admired works.
More than a hundred covers for the famous American magazine, cementing his international reputation.
An illustrated tale about loneliness and childhood, in which Sempé's line beautifully accompanies the text.
Themed albums continuing his poetic exploration of city life, couples, and music.
Anecdotes
Born in Bordeaux in 1932 into a modest family and a difficult childhood, the young Sempé took on many odd jobs after being expelled from his school for indiscipline. Having joined the army by lying about his age, he began selling his first drawings to the regional press, determined to become an illustrator.
In 1959, Sempé teamed up with the writer René Goscinny to create Little Nicholas, first published as illustrated stories in the newspaper Sud Ouest Dimanche and then in Pilote. The mischievous schoolboy and his gang of friends became a classic of children's literature, translated all over the world.
A great admirer of the American magazine The New Yorker, Sempé eventually drew many of its covers himself, starting in 1978. He became one of the few French artists to illustrate this prestigious publication regularly, immortalizing the streets of New York with his bittersweet poetry.
His drawings often play on the contrast between the vastness of a setting — a city, a landscape, a concert hall — and the smallness of a tiny character. This visual signature tenderly expresses the loneliness and fragility of modern man in the face of the world.
Sempé often worked at the last minute, tormented by doubt and endlessly redoing his drawings. He said he drew first to make himself laugh, and kept throughout his life the anxious modesty of an artist never satisfied with his line.
Primary Sources
At recess, we had a good laugh. It's because there's a new boy, and he has a funny name, he's called Georges MacIntosh.
I've always wanted to draw tiny people in immense settings, because that's how I see us.
A solitary figure, minuscule in the middle of the city, captured with humor and melancholy.
Key Places
Sempé's hometown, where he spent a modest and difficult childhood before leaving to try his luck in Paris. His first drawings appeared in the local newspaper, Sud Ouest.
The city where Sempé settled to become a cartoonist and where he spent most of his career. Its streets, its rooftops and its passersby became recurring subjects in his work.
The city he drew for the covers of The New Yorker starting in 1978, capturing its urban immensity with tenderness. It became one of his favorite settings.
A town in the Var department where Jean-Jacques Sempé died in August 2022 at the age of 89. He loved the light and gentleness of the South of France.
Typical Objects
Sempé's favorite instrument, which gave his drawings that fine, nervous, quivering line so characteristic of his work. Black ink on white paper structured his large empty spaces.
A technique of water-diluted colors that Sempé used for his New Yorker covers and his landscapes. It brought softness and light to his scenes of everyday life.
A bound collection gathering his plates published in the press, such as “Nothing Is Simple” or “Everything Gets Complicated.” This format brought his work to a wide audience.
A recurring motif and cherished object for Sempé, a symbol of freedom and reverie that he loved to draw in streets and countrysides. He made it the emblem of several of his works.
The vehicle for spreading his drawings, from Paris Match to L'Express by way of The New Yorker. The weekly press was the main stage for his humor.
Sempé was passionate about jazz and music, themes he often depicted: tiny orchestras, solitary pianists in vast halls. Music nourished his inspiration.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Daily Life
Morning
Sempé often rose early, haunted by his commissions and press deadlines. His mornings might be devoted to thinking, jotting down ideas and searching for just the right line, between coffee and long stretches of doubt.
Afternoon
In the afternoon, he drew at his work table, endlessly redoing the same scenes until he achieved the lightness he was after. He also loved to wander the streets of Paris, watching the passers-by who fed his inspiration.
Evening
In the evening, Sempé happily listened to jazz and classical music, which he revered. He kept company with friends and colleagues from the world of the press and publishing, while remaining a rather reserved man.
Food
A man of the 20th century attached to French cuisine and conviviality, Sempé enjoyed meals shared in Parisian cafés and bistros. These everyday places appear often in his drawings.
Clothing
He wore the plain, timeless outfits of a discreet artist: a shirt, a jacket, with no striving for eccentricity. His modesty in dress reflected his reserved temperament.
Housing
Sempé lived and worked in Paris, in studios where papers, inks and sketches piled up. He also stayed in the South of France, whose light he loved.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Le Petit Nicolas (avec René Goscinny)
1959-1965
Rien n'est simple
1962
Tout se complique
1963
L'Ascension sociale de Monsieur Lambert
1969
Couvertures du New Yorker
1978-2019
L'Histoire de Monsieur Sommer (texte de Patrick Süskind)
1989
Quelques manifestants / Sentiments distingués
1983-2007
