Yamilet Sempe

Yamilet Sempé Cifuentes (born 1970), known artistically as Sempé, is a Cuban-born French-American visual artist active primarily in the United States and Europe. Known for her various approaches to abstraction, she has gained recognition for her art through press coverage, published literature, and associations with other leading cultural figures. Her work has been the subject of critical analysis and featured in exhibitions, international fine art auctions, as well as institutional collections including the Wilzig Museum and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center.

Career Early life in Cuba Yamilet Sempé was born October 29, 1970 in the city of Matanzas, Cuba, an area known as a significant cultural hub in Cuba with a thriving artistic, literary, and creative community.

Sempé’s family was active in this scene during her upbringing and frequently hosted several prominent figures including guitarist Ildefonso Acosta and painter Modesto García (1930-2016) of the leading Academia Nacional de San Alejandro. García then became an early artistic mentor and supporter of Sempé's artistic expression, notably encouraging the development of her Horses, her first and longest-running painted series.

Among her notable artistic projects during her French period was the restoration of the historic Chateau du Beyrat. Located in the commune of Bellenaves, various portions of the Chateau du Beyrat date to between the 12th century (notably including its surviving medieval towers) to the 18th century. A key aspect of this development was her active involvement in the Cuban art community in exile that was based in Miami, through which Sempé became connected to several of its notable figures, including Josignacio, Adriano Nicot, and AGalban.

Analysis

Since becoming an established and internationally active artist, Yamilet Sempé has become best known for her works in total abstraction as well as geometric abstraction, which form her two primary series of work: her Abstraction series and her Geometric series, respectively. A third notable series is her long-running Horses/Shaman series, which predates both her Abstraction and Geometric series. With the exception of her early mentorship by Modesto García in Cuba and later mentorship with Fernando García upon arrival in Miami, Sempé is considered largely self-taught as an artist.

Her work has been collected in the United States, Cuba, France, Spain, France, Italy and Bahrain and featured in auction houses, including Drouot where her work has been exhibited and sold alongside work by Marc Chagall, Yayoi Kusama, Rufino Tamayo, Wifredo Lam, and Amelia Peláez. The exhibition was organized by the Consulate General of France in Miami along with the French-American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) in Miami and attended by the Consul General of France Clément Leclerc, President of the FACC Miami Alain Ouelhadj, director Pascale Villet, as well as French musician Andre Saint-Albin.

In 2019 Sempé was featured in the Art from the Heart exhibition, held in the Miami Design District’s Moore Building, a renovated historic landmark featuring a contemporary architectural installation by Zaha Hadid commissioned by Craig Robins. The opening drew 500 attendees, then a milestone for Sempé's exhibiting career. The exhibition was noteworthy for becoming the largest documented exhibition of Cuban erotic art ever held and for drawing international coverage and more than 1,000 attendees to its opening during Miami Art Week 2024.

In December 2024, Sempé was entered into the permanent collection of the Wilzig Museum in Miami Beach.

In October 2025, Sempé was cited by Artful Interior magazine as one of five Contemporary Abstract artist redefining Geometric painting.

In addition to her exhibiting and commissioned career, Sempé has also engaged in cultural philanthropy in using her art to support causes, including donating work to raise funds for charities supporting health, children and families. Recipients have included the Family Resource Center’s work to assist abused children, as well as the Beauty of Sight Foundation for blindness.