ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPERYUn Petit Prince parmi les Hommes
EXPOSITION OFFICIELLE DU 75E ANNIVERSAIRE DU PETIT PRINCE
Le Petit Prince est à Lyon pour son 75e anniversaire !
L’exposition Antoine de Saint Exupéry. Un Petit Prince parmi les Hommes a pris place entre deux moments emblématiques : 2020 est l’année du 120ème anniversaire de la naissance d’Antoine de Saint Exupéry ; 2021 celle du 75ème anniversaire de la parution en France de son œuvre la plus célèbre, Le Petit Prince. Deux dates qu’il convenait de célébrer à Lyon, ville natale de l’écrivain, avant tout autre lieu. L’exposition est en effet appelée à une itinérance importante en Europe, aux Etats-Unis et en Asie.
Every book has a story and that of the Little Prince begins with the birth of Antoine de Saint Exupéry. The French writer, poet, aviator and reporter was born on 29 June 1900 in Lyon and disappeared on duty on board his Lightning P- 38 of Reconnaissance Group II/33, under American command (M.A.A.F. Mediterranean Allied Air Force), on 31 July 1944, off the coast of Marseille. Declared "Death for France", an inscription in the Pantheon honours the memory of the great writer and fighter.
The writer and aviator is world-famous for “The Little Prince”, a philosophical tale imbued with both poetry and a singularly critical view of human nature. Published posthumously in 1943 in New York, then posthumously in France by Gallimard in 1946, the book quickly became a huge worldwide success. Since its first edition, “The Little Prince” has continued its incredible journey across borders and generations. With more than 200 million copies sold and nearly 400 translations, it is the best-known and most widely read work of French literature in the world.
But Antoine de Saint Exupéry is more than that. Antoine de Saint Exupéry is a simple, direct and straightforward man like his style and the men he admires, the Guillaumet, the Mermoz, the pioneers of l'Aéropostale or, in 1940, the comrades of Group II/33. Through his life and his works, he transmitted universal values which today find a very special resonance in a world context subject to crises and tensions.
A pioneering and visionary spirit : particularly around the themes of exploration and environmental protection: "The future, you don't have to foresee it but to allow it," he wrote in Citadelle.
Humanism: throughout his life, Saint Exupéry never ceased to denounce and fight the defects that give rise to so many of these problems: indifference, withdrawal into oneself, intolerance. He opposes them with the profound meaning of a humanist ideal. "Why hate ourselves? We stand together, swept away by the same planet, crew of the same ship. ", he writes in Terre des hommes.
Commitment: for Saint Exupéry, there is of course an intellectual and military commitment, but above all there is a moral commitment. "If respect for man is founded in the hearts of men, men will eventually found in return the social, political or economic system that will enshrine this respect. A civilization is founded first of all in substance. " he writes in the Lettre à un otage.
À l’heure du 120e anniversaire de sa naissance et du 75e anniversaire de la sortie du Petit Prince en France, c’est l’occasion d’apprendre ou de réapprendre, à le connaître… Notamment à travers cette exposition inédite de 1700m2.
Join the Little Prince in Lyon and discover the exciting life of his creator
In the exhibition Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Un Petit Prince parmi les Hommes (a Little Prince among men), two worlds are meeting and finally merging. Although, they have a common thread from the outset of the visitors’ route: Antoine’s mother, Marie de Saint Exupéry, who will guide them throughout their journey.
The wonderful world of the Little Prince
In the first section, the art installation of Arnaud Nazare-Aga materialises perfectly the wonderful world of the Little Prince. Under sculptures floating in the dark outer space, the visitor is revisiting the story of this little man coming from a distant planet to tell us about humans.
The fascinating life of Saint Exupéry
Si Le Petit Prince est connu à travers le monde, la vie de son auteur l’est sans doute moins. Pourtant, celui-ci a toujours nourri son œuvre de sa propre vie. Et quelle vie ! Aviateur passionné, pionnier de l’aviation, écrivain combattant lors de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, Antoine de Saint Exupéry est un personnage de roman aux multiples facettes. C’est la première fois qu’autant d’objets personnels, photos, manuscrits et dessins sont ainsi rassemblés pour raconter sa vie.
The fusion of two worlds
The two worlds merge in a final grand immersive space where the author and his famous character are playing hide-and-seek. This panting crossover lead to a happy end in apotheosis.
The Little Prince’s workshop
Lastly, an interactive workshop calls on the visitor to express himself, to react and to make choices. He will be confronted to situations related to the life and work of the writer, and will have to choose among thoughts, attitudes and reactions, the one he is more familiar to.
The exhibition is designed and produced by Tempora, the Belgian leader in the conception of artistic and historical exhibitions, in partnership with the Antoine de Saint Exupéry Youth Foundation, the National Air and Space Museum of France, the French Air Force and L’Envol des Pionniers.
Avec cette exposition itinérante, c’est l’esprit d’Antoine de Saint Exupéry qui voyage… Après Lyon, l’exposition va atterrir à Bruxelles début 2022 avant une itinérance internationale.
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