His family fled from the Armenian genocide to Greece, where he spent his childhood. In 1931, he moved with his family to France, and in 1934 attended classes at Montparnasse. In 1936 Jansem was admitted to the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, and studied at the Atelier Sabatier. His paintings were shown in the Salon des Artistes Inde´pendants in 1941, and have been subsequently displayed in various exhibitions, where he continues to receive awards.