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LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF BABAR’S GUIDE TO PARIS OCTOBER 14 – NOVEMBER 25, 2017
Mary Ryan Gallery is pleased to present Babar’s Guide to Paris, an exhibition of original watercolor illustrations and preparatory studies by Laurent de Brunhoff for his most recent Babar book of the same name. Published in the spring of 2017 by Abrams Books, Babar’s Guide to Paris features 33 new watercolors by de Brunhoff that celebrate the City of Light’s iconic sites and simple pleasures, from wandering through the Louvre to spending an afternoon reading at a café. In Babar’s Guide to Paris, the youngest daughter of the family, Isabelle, prepares for her first visit to Paris alone. Babar shares his best tips for navigating the city and embracing the local French culture, suggesting not only which well-known sites not to miss but how to truly experience the city like a Parisian: walk everywhere, exchange ideas in a garden, become a regular at a restaurant and befriend the waiter. The classic series began as a bedtime story invented by Laurent’s mother, Cecile de Brunhoff, and later realized as a book by his father, Jean de Brunhoff. Jean published and illustrated The Story of Babar in 1931, but he died in 1937 after completing six books. Laurent, then only 13 years old, colored and designed the cover illustration for the posthumous publication of his father’s seventh and final book. Laurent went on to study art at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and work as an abstract painter in Montparnasse. In 1946, at age 21, Laurent brought Babar back to life in the first book of his own, Babar’s Cousin: That Rascal Arthur. Laurent has since written and illustrated more than 50 Babar books. Mary Ryan Gallery is the exclusive representative for Laurent and Jean de Brunhoff’s art including all Babar published watercolor illustrations, studies and drawings.
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MARY RYAN GALLERY
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LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
PUBLISHED WATERCOLOR ILLUSTRATIONS
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MARY RYAN GALLERY
Cover of Babar’s Guide to Paris, 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 13 3/8 x 10 7/8 inches 6
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“Babar’s youngest daughter, Isabelle, is going to Paris,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 3/4 x 11 1/4 inches 7
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“‘First,’ he says, ‘you must go to a café,’” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 7/8 x 11 3/8 inches 8
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“The café is the theater of Paris, where you are both actor and spectator,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 13 3/4 x 11 1/8 inches 9
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“Each café is different,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 7/8 x 11 1/8 inches 10
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“The cafés are full day and night,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 1/8 x 11 1/8 inches 11
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“If you stand at the bar, it costs less,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 x 11 1/8 inches 12
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“Have dinner at a brasserie,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 13 5/8 x 11 1/8 inches 13
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“Best of all, you can bring your dog!,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 7/8 x 11 1/4 inches 14
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“Find your own favorite restaurant and go there often,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 12 1/4 x 8 7/8 inches 15
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“Despite its good reputation, the weather in Paris can be rainy, chilly, and windy,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 x 11 inches 16
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“Take your down or leather jacket and a warm wool scarf,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 7/8 x 11 1/8 inches 17
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“Apartment houses have coded number panels instead of doormen at the outer door,� 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 12 1/8 x 9 1/8 inches 18
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“The elevator is likely to be small,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 12 5/8 x 9 inches 19
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“Paris has many thriving bookstores,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 7/8 x 22 3/8 inches 20
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“Take the subway, called the Métro,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 x 11 1/8 inches 21
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“When the train starts, grab a pole and hold on tight!,� 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 x 11 1/8 inches 22
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“Go to museums, especially the Louvre, which you enter through a glass pyramid,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 1/8 x 11 1/8 inches 23
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“You will see many strange and beautiful things inside,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 1/8 x 11 1/8 inches 24
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“See Monet’s paintings of water lilies at the Orangerie museum,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 7/8 x 22 1/4 inches 25
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“Take a bateau mouche and see Paris from the river,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 x 11 1/8 inches 26
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“Exchange ideas with a friend in the Luxembourg Gardens,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 1/8 x 11 1/8 inches 27
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“Live like a Parisian,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 1/4 x 11 1/8 inches 28
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“There will be a surprise on every block—a lion...,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 1/2 x 11 1/4 inches 29
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“An artist,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 x 11 1/8 inches 30
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“Maybe children learning anatomy from statues!,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 x 11 inches 31
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“You might see a street market in the morning, which will have disappeared by the afternoon,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 x 11 3/8 inches 32
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“There will always be a park nearby to explore,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 x 11 1/8 inches 33
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“Or to relax in,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 7/8 x 11 1/4 inches 34
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“At night, go to the theater or the opera,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 x 22 1/4 inches 35
MARY RYAN GALLERY
“Next morning, laze on the quays of the Seine,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 15 1/8 x 22 1/4 inches 36
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
“See the great world and treasure every bit of it, darling child,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 7/8 x 11 1/8 inches 37
MARY RYAN GALLERY
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LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
GRAPHITE & COLOR STUDIES
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MARY RYAN GALLERY
Graphite study for “‘First,’ he says, ‘you must go to a café,’” 2017 Graphite 15 1/4 x 11 1/2 inches 40
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
Color study for “‘First,’ he says, ‘you must go to a café,’” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 14 5/8 x 10 1/2 inches 41
MARY RYAN GALLERY
Graphite study for “There will always be a park nearby to explore,” 2017 Graphite 12 1/4 x 9 inches 42
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
Color study for “There will always be a park nearby to explore,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 12 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches 43
MARY RYAN GALLERY
Color study for “Despite its good reputation, the weather in Paris can be rainy, chilly, and windy,” 2017 Watercolor and graphite 14 7/8 x 11 1/4 inches 44
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
Color study for “Find your own favorite restaurant and go there often,” 2017 Watercolor, ink and graphite 12 5/8 x 9 inches 45
MARY RYAN GALLERY
Graphite study for “Take your down or leather jacket and a warm wool scarf,” 2017 Graphite 9 3/4 x 13 inches 46
LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF
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MARY RYAN GALLERY
Member, Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) Member, International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA)
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