French-Armenian painter Jean Jansem dies at 93
Famous French-Armenian painter Jean Jansem (Hovhannes Semerdjian) died on August 27 in a Paris suburb at the age of 93.
Born in 1920 in Bursa, Turkey, he spent his childhood in Thessaloniki, Greece, and arrived in France when he was 11 and that is when he began to paint. Early paintings by Jansem were mainly devoted to national issues. In 1973, he visited Armenia for the first time. In 2001, 34 of his paintings were given to the Museum of the Armenian Genocide.
On March 10, 2010, during a visit to France, the Armenian President awarded Jansem Medal of Honor. "Our nation is proud of you and values highly your art. While living outside Armenia, you have made our country more recognizable, extending our nation's good name all over the world,” Serzh Sargsyan said.