Laughter & Satire

Alphonse Allais (1854-1905) was a French writer, journalist, and humorist, a major figure of absurd humor and *fumisme*. A regular at the “Le Chat Noir” cabaret, he is famous for his puns, his short tales, and his paradoxical aphorisms.

Albert Dubout (1905-1976) was a French cartoonist, illustrator, and poster artist, famous for his teeming crowds, his cats, and his scenes of southern France. He left his mark on book illustration and film posters in the 20th century.

Jean Bosc (1924-1973) was a French humorist cartoonist, a master of wordless humor drawing. His spare line and dark, absurd humor left their mark on post-war French satirical press.

Cabu (1938-2015) was a French press cartoonist, creator of the Grand Duduche and the caricatural character of the Beauf. A major figure in satirical caricature, he contributed to Hara-Kiri and then to Charlie Hebdo, where he was murdered in the attack of January 7, 2015.

Pierre Henri Cami (1884-1958) was a French writer, humorist and cartoonist, a master of the absurd and of nonsense. A prolific author of stories, parodies and comic plays, he was hailed by Charlie Chaplin as “the greatest humorist in the world”.

Charb (1967-2015) was a French political cartoonist and satirical journalist, publishing director of Charlie Hebdo. A defender of freedom of expression and secularism, he was murdered on 7 January 2015 during the attack on the newspaper.

Chaval, whose real name was Yvan Le Louarn (1915-1968), was a French cartoonist and humorist. Famous for his dark, absurd and deeply pessimistic humor, he left his mark on the press and post-war editorial cartooning.

Coluche (1944-1986) was a French comedian and actor known for his popular, provocative humor. Made famous by his sketches and his work in café-théâtre, he founded the Restos du Cœur in 1985, a food-aid charity that is still active today.

Copi (1939-1987) was an Argentine writer, playwright, and cartoonist who worked in French. A figure of the Parisian avant-garde, he blended ferocious humor, provocation, and theatre of the absurd.

Fernand Raynaud (1926-1973) was one of the most popular French comedians of the postwar boom years. A pioneer of the French-style one-man show, he left his mark on radio, television and music hall with sketches that became classics of popular comedy.

Francis Blanche (1921-1974) was a French comedian, actor, cabaret singer and writer. A partner of Pierre Dac, he was one of the masters of post-war comedy, a virtuoso of wordplay, radio hoaxes and nonsense.

François Cavanna (1923-2014) was a French writer, journalist, and humorous cartoonist. Co-founder of the satirical newspapers Hara-Kiri and later Charlie Hebdo, he is also the author of famous autobiographical works such as “Les Ritals,” about his childhood as the son of an Italian immigrant.

Fred, whose real name was Othon Aristidès, was a French cartoonist and comic-strip writer of Greek descent. A poet of drawing, he was the creator of Philémon, a dreamlike and surrealist series published in Pilote, and one of the founders of the satirical magazine Hara-Kiri.

Gébé (1929-2004) was a French press cartoonist, screenwriter and comic book author. A major figure of the satirical press, he was editor-in-chief of Hara-Kiri and Charlie Hebdo, and the author of the famous utopia L'An 01.

French press cartoonist and comic-book author of Tunisian-Italian origin, a leading figure of the libertarian spirit and satire from the 1960s to the 2000s. He left his mark on Hara-Kiri, Charlie Hebdo and L'Humanité before being murdered in the attack of 7 January 2015.

Georgius (1891-1970) was a French songwriter and comic singer, a leading figure of music hall during the interwar period. The author of more than 1,500 songs, he is considered a pioneer of zany, absurdist song.

Marcel Gotlib (1934-2011) was a French comic book artist and writer, a major figure in humorous comics. Co-founder of satirical magazines, he left his mark on popular culture with his absurd, parodic humor.

Guy Bedos (1934-2020) was a French comedian, actor, and music-hall performer, born in Algiers. Famous for his stage sketches, notably as a duo with Sophie Daumier, he was also a committed left-wing figure, blending humor and political satire.

Jacques Faizant (1918-2006) was a French press cartoonist and political caricaturist. Long featured on the front page of *Le Figaro*, he is famous for his chatty little old ladies and his depictions of Marianne symbolizing the Republic.

Jean Effel, whose real name was François Lejeune, was a French cartoonist, caricaturist and journalist of the 20th century. His pen name came from his initials F.L. pronounced “eff-el.” He is known worldwide for his poetic and humorous series “The Creation of the World.”

Jean Yanne (1933-2003) was a French comedian, actor, director, screenwriter and broadcaster. A figure of nonconformism and fierce irony, he left his mark on post-war French radio, cinema and satire.

Maurice Henry (1907-1984) was a French cartoonist, poet, and humorist, a key figure of the Surrealist movement. Famous for his humorous drawings published in the press, he was also a painter and sculptor, blending the absurd with poetry.

Mose (Moïse David) was a 20th-century French cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for having taken over and drawn for decades the famous comic strip character Professor Nimbus, originally created by André Daix.

Philippe Honoré (1941-2015) was a French press cartoonist and illustrator, known for his fine, minimalist line and his literary references. A contributor to Charlie Hebdo, he was murdered on 7 January 2015 during the attack on the newspaper.

Piem was a French humor cartoonist of the second half of the 20th century. A well-known figure in press cartooning, he contributed to numerous newspapers and became famous with the general public by drawing live on television.

Pierre Dac (1893-1975) was a French humorist, cabaret songwriter and actor, a major figure of absurdist humour. A member of the Resistance, he became the voice of Free France on Radio London during the Occupation. Together with Francis Blanche he created the famous radio serial “Signé Furax”.

Pierre Desproges (1939-1988) was a French comedian, columnist, and writer. A master of black and absurdist humor, he left his mark on the French stage and radio with his cutting wit and erudition. He died of cancer at the age of 48.

Pierre Étaix (1928-2016) was a French clown, filmmaker, actor and illustrator. A collaborator of Jacques Tati, in the 1960s he directed slapstick comedies such as “The Suitor” and “Yoyo,” in the tradition of visual comic cinema.

Georges Bernier (1929-2005), known as Professeur Choron, was a French humorist and publisher, co-founder with François Cavanna of the satirical magazines Hara-Kiri and Charlie Hebdo. A provocative figure of the “dumb and nasty” press, he embodied the irreverence of post-war French humour.

Raymond Devos (1922-2006) was a French comedian and stage performer of Belgian origin. A virtuoso of language, he built a unique body of work founded on wordplay, paradoxes, and verbal absurdity, performed on the greatest stages.

Jean-Marc Reiser (1941-1983) was a French comic-strip artist and caricaturist, a major figure of the satirical press. With a sharp, ferocious style, he embodied the rebellious spirit of Hara-Kiri and then Charlie Hebdo, leaving a lasting mark on French graphic humour.

Robert Lamoureux (1920-2011) was a French comedian, actor, playwright and stage director. Famous for his comic monologues, notably “La Chasse au canard” (“The Duck Hunt”), he also found success in boulevard theatre and in cinema with the “7th Company” film series.

Roger Blachon (1941-2008) was a French humorous cartoonist and illustrator. A virtuoso of sports drawings and crowd scenes, he contributed to many newspapers and magazines and received the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême in 1993.

Roland Moisan (1907-1987) was a French humorous cartoonist and caricaturist. He is famous for his long career at the Canard enchaîné, where he sketched the political figures of the Fourth and Fifth Republics.

Roland Topor (1938-1997) was a French cartoonist, writer, painter, and filmmaker, a major figure of dark humor and the absurd. Co-founder of the Panic Movement alongside Jodorowsky and Arrabal, he was also the graphic creator of the television series “Téléchat.”

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.

Sennep is one of the greatest French political caricaturists of the first half of the 20th century. His sharp pencil sketched the figures of the Third Republic and Parisian political life in the satirical press.

Sim (1926-2009), whose real name was Simon Berryer, was a French actor and comedian. A figure of café-théâtre and television, he embodied a zany, provocative comic style, famous in particular for his cross-dressed character, the Baroness.

Maurice Sinet (1928-2016), known as Siné, was a French press cartoonist and caricaturist, a figure of anarchism and satirical drawing. His sharp-lined drawings left their mark on the post-war French press, from L'Express to Charlie Hebdo.

Thierry Le Luron was a French comedian and impressionist of the 1970s and 1980s, famous for his biting parodies of the political class and show business. A major figure of the music hall, he left his mark on television and the stage before his untimely death in 1986.

Bernard Verlhac, known as Tignous (1957-2015), was a French press cartoonist and caricaturist. A contributor to Charlie Hebdo, Marianne and Fluide glacial, he championed freedom of expression through satirical drawing. He was murdered on 7 January 2015 during the attack on Charlie Hebdo.