International cartoonist and illustrator Kiraz has passed away.
Edmond “Kiraz” Kirazian
August 25, 1923 – August 11, 2020
The cartoonist, known in particular for his illustrations of “Parisiennes” published in many magazines, died on Tuesday at the age of 96, his companion told AFP. “Edmond Kiraz, born in Cairo on August 25, 1923, passed away serenely in the early morning of Tuesday, August 11, 2020, in his Parisian apartment in the 6th arrondisse of Paris that he loved so much”, confided Sabine Bastien, the companion of the ‘illustrator who drew for thirty years for Marcel Dassault’s weekly newspaper Jours de France.
Raised in a Francophile family of Armenian origin, he moved to Paris at the age of 22, immediately falling under the spell of the “Parisiennes” whom he saw as “dragonflies”.
Slender silhouette, huge eyes, the “Parisiennes” sketched by Kiraz were sophisticated and terribly stereotypical, ingenuous and mindless, mainly concerned with shopping and fashion. In addition to Jours de France where he was hired directly by Marcel Dassault to “draw pretty women”, the designer worked in particular for Playboy, Paris Match and Vogue.
He began a decades-long relationship as a contract cartoonist with Playboy Magazine beginning in 1970.
Since 1970, at Hugh Hefner’s express request, Kiraz’s ” Parisiennes ” are published monthly in Playboy.
Fans of Playboy cartoons will immediately recognize Kiraz’s singular style.
“Maybe you should try another apple.”
The Kiraz page at Lambiek’s Comiclopedia.
Kiraz website via The Wayback Machine.
