mheu, Historical Museum of the Urban Environment

The artist

With humor, affection and nostalgia, Jean-Jacques Sempé has been sketching scenes from daily life for more than half a century. Born in Bordeaux in 1932, he began his career by placing his drawings in the regional press. The people he met did the rest: Chaval, Konk, and above all Goscinny with whom he began publishing the celebrated adventures of Nicholas in 1959. A prolific artist, Sempé produced press cartoons, magazine covers (notably for The New Yorker) and graphic novels including Monsieur Lambert. He also illustrated Catherine Certitude, the famed children's book by Patrick Modiano.