‘The Little Prince’ Exhibition Returns to Paris
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Nearly 80 years after its creation, ‘The Little Prince’ has arrived in Paris.
Written by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery in New York during World War II, the beloved novella is now being celebrated at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, where 30 pages of the original manuscript are on display.
The manuscript is showcased alongside hundreds of other artifacts from Saint-Exupery’s life and work, including sketches, watercolors, photographs, poems, and letters.

‘The exhibition is titled ‘An Encounter with the Little Prince,’ and its aim is to truly meet the Little Prince,’ said Thomas Rivière, the great-grandnephew of Saint-Exupery, in an interview with Dinogo.
‘It’s been a long-time dream of mine,’ Rivière added.
Born in 1900 in Lyon, France, Antoine de Saint-Exupery was a writer, aviator, and journalist who joined the French Air Force in 1940. That same year, he flew to New York on a mission to persuade the United States to join the war alongside France.
During his time in the U.S., he completed ‘The Little Prince,’ which was published in 1943 in both English and French in New York.
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This simple story, which has sold over 200 million copies worldwide, follows a young boy who journeys across the universe to gain wisdom. Since its first publication, it has been translated into nearly 500 languages, making it one of the most translated works in history, according to the Museum of Decorative Arts.
However, Saint-Exupery did not live to witness its global success. He disappeared during a mission in 1944 and was declared dead in 1945.
It took Thomas Rivière, who oversees Saint-Exupery’s estate, three years to organize this exhibition, in part due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. His work was supported by publishers and collectors, including the Morgan Library and Museum in New York, which holds the manuscript.
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Saint-Exupery wrote and illustrated on delicate, thin paper known as ‘onion skin.’ This made transporting the fragile manuscript even more difficult, especially as it aged, Rivière explained.
To ensure the pages were safely transported, they were professionally framed in New York by the Morgan Library and Museum, Rivière added.
The exhibition opened on February 17 and will be available to visit until June 26.
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5/5