Sem, 1863-1934 (1863-1934)
Dates
- Existence: 1863-1934
Biography
Georges Goursat (1863–1934), known as Sem, was a French caricaturist famous during the Belle Époque. He was born in Perigueux on 22 November 1863. Around 1890 Georges Goursat began to use the moniker “Sem” when signing his work. He was invited to Paris in March 1900 by Jean Lorrain, mainly to work in the studio of Cherat. In Paris, Sem lived on the Rue de Vaugirard and he found his artistic inspiration in visiting the racetracks of Paris. Here he put together the album The Turf, which was immediately considered a great success. He also became associated with Parisian society at places like the Restaurant Maxim’s, at the Opera, at Longchamps, or in the Allée des Acacias.
Sem’s unique talent made his work very identifiable, particularly because of the essential sobriety of his composition, in which his characters usually emerge from a white or plain background rather than being more obvious caricatures. His work is particularly associated with the Belle Epoque and, during this period, he wrote numerous articles chronicling theatre shows, fashion, travel and artistic reviews. He also created a number of very beautiful posters illustrating subjects like the clowns Footit and Chocolat, the tourist towns of Deauville, Cannes and Monte Carlo, and also a number of businesses including Benedictine.