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The four-foot-tall sculpture was carved from clay and cast in bronze in one single piece at the sculptor's studio in Normandy, France. The Little Prince will be perched on the garden wall of the historic Payne Whitney Mansion, facing Fifth Avenue passers-by at eye level. A Gilded Age architectural masterpiece built by Stanford White from 1902–1906, France acquired the building in the 1950s, and now serves as the New York City headquarters of Villa Albertine.
The Little Prince is the most translated work of literature ever, published in more than 550 languages and dialects. But few people know that The Little Prince was conjured into existence in New York City and in Northport, Long Island, where Antoine de Saint Exupéry lived from 1940 to 1943. The Morgan Library holds the original manuscript in its collection.
While dozens of plaques and statues worldwide commemorate the novelist, this statue will be the first in Manhattan, a borough Saint Exupéry left just weeks before publication. From New York City, he sailed to North Africa with one advance copy of the fable in his bag; fifteen months later, he disappeared at the controls of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning during a reconnaissance mission over occupied France during World War II in the service of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces under the command of American General Ira C. Eaker.
The mission of the American Society of Le Souvenir Français is to honor exemplary French citizens and promote French culture in the United States. Hence, their decision to commemorate Antoine de Saint Exupéry's literary triumph and entrust this project to renowned French sculptor Jean-Marc de Pas. In his work, de Pas explores grace, linear harmony, and the expression of the inner self. Over the past 30 years, he has created numerous public monuments, including the bust of Saint Exupéry, on display at the Air and Space Museum in Le Bourget.
"The Little Prince – a beloved cultural icon worldwide and the perfect embodiment of France's shared history with the U.S. – will be at home on Manhattan's famous Fifth Avenue. Eighty years after the publication of this timeless classic, we are delighted to welcome the Little Prince to Villa Albertine, where thousands of visitors come every month to attend literary events and browse the shelves of Albertine Books. When they arrive, they will be greeted by this monument to cultural exchanges, creativity, and exploration – values that underpin everything we do. The French Embassy constantly strives to highlight remarkable stories like this one that celebrate the close societal and cultural ties between France and the U.S." – Laurent Bili, Ambassador of France to the USA.
"We are all very proud that the Little Prince will now have a fitting presence in the city of his birth. This loving sculpture will undoubtedly delight New Yorkers and tourists of all origins, who can sit next to him and gaze with him toward the stars. Some eighty years later, the Little Prince stands tall as a universal symbol of peace, wisdom, and care for our planet." – Thierry Chaunu, President of the American Society of Le Souvenir Français.
"New York is a city known for its diversity, its mix of different cultures. The Little Prince is a tale that celebrates the importance of such diversity and mutual understanding, reminding us that we are all connected, even if we come from different backgrounds. This statue symbolizes Franco-American friendship and France's contribution to the universal values of the Little Prince. It will invite people walking on Fifth Avenue to sit by the Little Prince's side, especially New York children." – Jean-Hugues Monier, Board Member of the American Society of Le Souvenir Français and member of the sculpture's Steering Committee.
"New York is a city known for its diversity, its mix of different cultures. The Little Prince is a tale that celebrates the importance of such diversity and mutual understanding, reminding us that we are all connected, even if we come from different backgrounds. This statue symbolizes Franco-American friendship and France's contribution to the universal values of the Little Prince. It will be an invitation for people walking on Fifth Avenue to sit by the Little Prince's side, especially New York children." – Olivier d'Agay, President of the Antoine de Saint Exupéry Youth Foundation and the author's great-nephew.
The Steering Committee for the sculpture project is composed of Thierry Chaunu, Jean-Hugues Monier, and Francis Dubois, respectively, President and Board Members of the American Society of Le Souvenir Français, as well as Nicolas Delsalle-Mun, Delegate General of the Antoine de Saint Exupéry Youth Foundation. The Honorary Committee is co-chaired by Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of a biography on Antoine de Saint Exupéry, and Olivier d'Agay, great-nephew of Antoine de Saint Exupéry and Secretary General of the Antoine de Saint Exupéry Youth Foundation. As an official project partner, Air France transported this sculpture of The Little Prince from Paris to New York.
About the American Society of Le Souvenir Français
It is a non-profit organization founded in 1993 in New York to honor the memory of French soldiers, sailors, and airmen who gave their lives for freedom in the United States and to strengthen the historic, long-standing bonds of friendship since 1778 between the American and French peoples, and to this end: erect or maintain memorials and monuments.
www.SouvenirFrancaisUSA.org
Katia Graytok
Kaleidoscope Luxury PR & Communications
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