LES PARISIENNES DE KIRAZ

Who in France doesn’t know Kiraz’s Les Parisiennes?

Sharp-witted, elegant, snobbish, frivolous, carefree yet profound, Kiraz’s Les Parisiennes have crossed the decades without aging a day — or gaining a gram.

Through their wit and the grace of their silhouettes, they have earned a unique place in the heritage of French humour.

Younger generations see themselves in their cheekiness, freedom and astonishing modernity. Others look back with emotion on these heroines who met them every week in the pages of Jours de France for nearly thirty years. But who was the man who drew them with such remarkable consistency? Who was this discreet artist who so brilliantly captured the spirit of the times and told the story of his era with just a few strokes of the pen?

Edmond Kiraz was born in Cairo on August 25, 1923.

From an early age, he revealed an exceptional talent for drawing. After a brief stint at a bank, which he left after just a few days, he decided to become a press cartoonist and published his first caricatures in Egyptian newspapers. In 1946, he settled in Paris and quickly found his place in the illustrated press. In 1959, at the invitation of Marcel Dassault, he joined Jours de France. For nearly thirty years, he created Les Parisiennes there: those tall, elegant, witty and resolutely modern women who would make him famous. More than 10,000 drawings would be created, making his work one of the great symbols of French elegance and humour.

In the 1970s, his drawings crossed the Atlantic and were published in Playboy at the initiative of Hugh Hefner. Les Parisiennes also became the stars of numerous advertising campaigns for major brands.

In 2008, the Carnavalet Museum devoted a major retrospective to his work, definitively establishing Kiraz as one of the great masters of French illustration.

Edmond Kiraz passed away in 2020 at the age of 97, leaving behind a timeless body of work.

His Parisiennes continue to charm, generation after generation, with their wit, freedom and elegance.