France pays homage to beloved New Yorker cartoonist Sempé

By JADE LE DELEY
Associated Press

Family, friends and fans have paid tribute to French cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempé, who died last week at age 89. Sempé’s work graced more than 100 covers of The New Yorker magazine and granted him international acclaim. In his native France, he found fame with illustrations for the classic “Le Petit Nicolas” (“Little Nicholas”) children’s book series, and went on to specialize in drawings about life’s simple pleasures. For The New Yorker, Sempé captured the thin, fashionable haute bourgeoisie of Paris and mustachioed, beret-wearing townsfolk, all bearing hallmark hulking noses. A funeral Mass for the artist affectionately known as J.J. in the United States took place Friday at the Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris.