De Brunhoff’s Babar

What quickly catapulted to become one of the most beloved and recognizable children’s book characters in Europe after publication in 1931 began as a bedtime story told by artist Jean de Brunhoff’s wife Cécile to their two sons, four and five years old at the time, a gesture of comfort for the younger Mathieu who was sick. The charming story of the little elephant who left the jungle for a city resembling Paris was so likeable that Jean created illustrations in such an enduring form that they were capable of carrying all of the charisma Cécile had awakened. Enjoying immediate success, the stories of Babar seemed to strike a chord in the hearts of all who read them. Jean and Cécile created seven Babar books before Jean’s death at age 37, publishing them through a family publishing house called Le Jardin des Modes which produced a French women’s fashion magazine. After Jean’s death, his then thirteen-year old son Laurent, who was also an artist in his father’s footsteps, began coloring some of Jean’s unfinished stories with the encouragement and help from Jean’s brother Michel, the editor of French Vogue. Eventually through a larger publishing house and more inspired stories, Laurent continued the Babar legacy with work of his own— which he was careful to keep within the spirit of the originals that his father and mother had forged.

The Babar books were so popular they were reprinted with millions of copies sold around the world, and continue their long-standing appeal today. Admired American children’s book author Maurice Sendak of the infamous Where the Wild Things Are described de Brunhoff’s work in this way: "Like an extravagant piece of poetry, the interplay between few words and many pictures, commonly called the picture book, is a difficult, exquisite, and most easily collapsible form that few have mastered... Jean de Brunhoff was a master of this form. Between 1931 and 1937 he completed a body of work that forever changed the face of the illustrated book."

In Babar en Auto, a small print that is effectively a portrait of our hero, we see a distilled vision of Babar that highlights all of his charm in one fell swoop. Even the car seems to have a twinkle in its eyes. The simplicity calls attention to the beautiful line quality that is the hallmark of Jean’s distinctive character, sincere and steeped with nostalgia.

With The Blue Carousel and The Pink Carousel, these larger pieces carry us visually through Babar’s delightful meanderings, the shape and style of which describes a way that Babar approaches the world that is perhaps unique and with a nature that is distinctively his own. Curious, intrepid, kind and gentle, optimistic in the face of sometimes grand challenges which he would encounter throughout his travels, Babar’s personality is unmistakable.

In Babar Chez la Vielle Dame we see a dapper Babar after the meeting of his friend The Old Lady, a piece painted by Jean as part of the first story, and in L'Anniversaire de Babar he celebrates his birthday in his usual green suit, this piece painted many years later by the son Laurent.

Celestville is a signed silkscreen print made by Laurent, from a very small edition of only ten— its soft color scheme and sunny disposition conjure an infectious pleasurable mood that is difficult to ignore.

And in another signed silkscreen by Laurent, Cave of the Mamouth highlights the joy of exploration alongside a charming measure of nonchalance, as though with merely the right attitude, searching through a dark cave can be fun and easy.

In Babar Loves the Ballet, a 1989 poster that was designed by Laurent for the American Ballet Theater, the Babar elephant friends display their multidisciplinary prowess— part of Babar’s allure is unquestionably his ability to parade through the varied ways of human life.

And Babar en Famille is a print of the cover of one of the original seven books made by Jean, with a feeling of warmth and family love, and the sense of royalty that such a thing can convey— undoubtedly a factor in Cécile’s narrative, likely sprung from the presence of such an atmosphere amongst themselves.