Studio of Dance

Jean Jansem (1920-2013)

Studio of Dance
2002
oil on canvas
14 1/2 x 18 1/8 inches
framed: 22 x 22 1/2 inches
signed

Hovhannes Semerdjian, better known as Jean Jansem, was born in 1920 in Bursa, then part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1922, his family fled to Greece, where he spent his childhood in Thessaloniki. In 1931, at the age of 11, the family moved to Issy-les-Moulineaux, a suburb of Paris, France. It was during this time that Jansem began to paint.

Jansem’s artistic journey started at the free academies of Montparnasse (1934–1936) and continued at the École des Arts Décoratifs, where he studied under Brianshon, Legjon, and Udon. He also trained for a year at the Sabatie studio. His early works often focused on national themes.

Jansem held individual exhibitions in major cities such as Paris, New York, Chicago, London, Tokyo, Rome, Brussels, Lausanne, and Beirut. In 1956, he was elected President of the Young Artists’ Salon. Two years later, he won the Comparison Prize in Mexico.

In Japan, two museums were established to honor his work, located in Tokyo Ginza and Azumino, Nagano Prefecture. Jansem first visited Armenia in 1973, and in 2001, he donated 34 of his paintings to the Armenian Genocide Museum.


On March 10, 2010, the day after his 90th birthday, the President of Armenia awarded Jansem a medal of honor during a visit to France, stating, “Our nation is proud of you and highly values your art. While living outside Armenia, you have made our country more recognizable, extending our nation’s good name all over the world.”

Jean Jansem passed away on August 27, 2013, at the age of 93, near Paris.