This is so exciting!

Carol Vogel's Inside Art column today alerted me to this very exciting exhibit opening at the Morgan in September. The Babars most of us grew up with were in English typeface, but the original French books had handwritten cursive to go along with their colorful drawings. Because handwriting and animals simply belong together. And the French know that because they possess some kind of intuitive cultural understanding of creaturely cuteness, as made evident here. (Also note at left how Babar has never been a particular fan of snowy days!) The article is below.

Image courtesy of Flickr's Miss Pompon (a great artist in her own right!)

BABAR: THE EXHIBITION

In 2005 the Morgan Library & Museum acquired Jean de Brunhoff’s manuscript and illustrations for “The Story of Babar the Little Elephant,” originally published in French in 1931, and the illustrations for “Babar’s Cousin: That Rascal Arthur,” by his son, Laurent, published in French in 1946. Although the Morgan has one of the greatest collections of illustrated children’s books, until then it had not owned any Babar classics.

This fall the Morgan will devote several of its galleries to about 175 Babar works, including manuscript drafts, sketches and watercolors for those two books. Computer touch screens will display digital images of works that are too fragile to be displayed for long periods of time.

“The show will be about Babar and the creation of children’s books, but also about the creative process,” William M. Griswold, director of the Morgan, said of the show, “Drawing Babar: Early Drafts and Watercolors,” which will be on view from Sept. 19 through Jan. 4.

Among the exhibits will be Jean de Brunhoff’s maquette for “Histoire de Babar,” an illustrated booklet that he made while creating the series’s first book to get a sense of how it would ultimately look. Because it is made of folded sheets filled with drawing and text on both sides, only a portion of the booklet can be shown at one time, but visitors will be able to see all 54 pages digitally.

Although Mr. Griswold described “Drawing Babar” as an exhibition for adults, the Morgan plans to offer educational programs for children, teaching tools and family activities associated with the show. “We want to strike the right balance,” he said.