Exhibitions & Events

An Encounter With the Petit Prince

at Musée des Arts Décoratifs

From February 17th through June 26th, 2022, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
in Paris presents the first major museum exhibition in France dedicated to the timeless literary masterpiece, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

This exhibition, entitled À la rencontre du petit prince (An Encounter with the petit prince), brings together more than six-hundred works that celebrate the many facets of Antoine de Saint- Exupéry’s extraordinary life as a writer, poet, aviator, explorer, journalist, inventor, and philosopher who was driven all his life by a humanistic ideal, the true driving force of his work.

An Encounter with the petit prince showcases the original manuscript of The Little Prince, held in the permanent collection of the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City, alongside watercolors, sketches, drawings, papers, photographs, poems, newspaper clippings and correspondence produced by Saint- Exupéry over the course of his life.

Written and published in the United States in 1943 and in France in 1946 only, The Little Prince was the final work of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, published during his lifetime and undoubtedly his most prolific piece, sharing a universal message with readers while transcending borders and time.

An Encounter with the petit prince traces the life of the author, beginning with his birth on June 29th, 1900 and his aristocratic origins in Lyon, followed by his upbringing and education, his interest in poetry, and his fascination with airplanes, all of which influenced his writings.

This timeless story, punctuated by whimsical, poetic illustrations, has become a staple of children’s literature while also presenting a message of considerable philosophical scope. Through the clues dispersed throughout the texts, drawings and artifacts presented, An Encounter with the petit prince sheds light onto often overlooked or unknown aspects of Saint-Exupéry’s life while offering a more profound understanding of this internationally recognized and enigmatic story.