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Laurent de Brunhoff Biography
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1926-9 |
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Cecile de Brunhoff makes up an elephant tale as a bedtime story for her children
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1931 |
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Jean de Brunhoff expands, names and illustrates the story; the first Babar book, The Story of Babar, is published
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1932 |
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Jean de Brunhoff’s second Babar book, The Travels of Babar, is published
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1932 |
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Jean de Brunhoff designs wooden reliefs to decorate the French ocean liner,Normandie; commences work on Zephir book
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1933 |
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Jean de Brunhoff’s third book, Babar the King, is published
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1934 - 1936 |
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Brother Thierry born in November; Pom, Flora, and Alexander join the Babar series as Jean de Brunhoff works on Babar and His Children
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1936 |
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Jean de Brunhoff’s Babar and His Children commissioned as a serial with black and white illustrations for the Daily Sketch, a London newspaper
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1936 |
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Jean de Brunhoff’s fifth Babar book is published, Babar and Zephir, devoted to Laurent’s and Mathieu’s favorite character
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1936 - 1937 |
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Jean de Brunhoff’s Babar and Father Christmas commissioned as a serial with black and white illustrations for the Daily Sketch, a London newspaper
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1937 |
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1937 Jean de Brunhoff dies of tuberculosis on October 16
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1938 |
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Jean de Brunhoff’s Babar and His Children published in book form; Laurent de Brunhoff’s uncle, Michel de Brunoff, who was a famous editior of Vogue in Paris at the time takes charge of turning the text and pictures into a book; teenager Laurent de Brunhoff was asked to assist with color
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1940 |
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House in Chessy sold; during WWII and German occupation of Paris family frequently re-locates; children continue their education
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1941 |
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Jean de Brunhoff’s Babar and Father Christmas published in book form; again Laurent de Brunhoff consulted on color for the cover
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1944 |
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Laurent de Brunhoff graduated
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1944 |
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Laurent studies abstract painting at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere, Montparnasse
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1946 |
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Laurent de Brunhoff’s first Babar book, Babar’s Cousin: That Rascal Arthur is published in France; as with his father’s books, Random House publishes the English version with Merle Haas translating
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1948 |
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abstract paintings shown in group show, Galerie Maeght, Paris
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1949 |
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Babar’s Picnic published
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1950 |
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Laurent brief period discontinues abstract work and paints figurative work, craves art that “could be understood by general public”
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1951 |
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marries Marie-Claude, wife champions work and offers plot suggestions
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1951 |
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Babar’s Visit to Bird Island published; lush, seminal watercolors
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1952 |
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Daughter Anne born; family moves from the Montparnasse atelier outside Paris to Velannes; begins work on Babar’s Fair
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1952 |
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Resumes abstract work (Klee inspired)
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1954 |
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Holiday in St Tropex begins writing commission for publication Elle, Babar and the Professor
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1954 |
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Son Antonie born; family moves back to Paris on Boulevard St Germain in Latin Quarter which remains their primary residence for nearly 30 years
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1956 |
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Laurent de Brunhoff’s Babar and the Professor published; deep grottoes/darkness and illumination
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1957 |
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At the Top of One’s Voice is published; Laurent supplies the black and white pen illustrations
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1955 - 1959 |
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Laurent abandons all painting other than Babar work until the mid 1970’s also does drawings for advertising, etc to help support family
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1962 |
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Random House becomes his preliminary publisher; Hachette continues publishing the French language series
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1981 |
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Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Story of Babar: more than 500 watercolors by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff included in major museum exhibition at the Centre Culturel du Marais in Paris. This geneis to a travelling USA museum exhibition. Babar’s Anniversary Album: Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff published for the occasion. Babar and the Ghost is also published this year.
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1985 |
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Laurent leaves France for America. Settles in New England (Connecticut) Lives with writer Phyllis Rose.
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| Selected Exhibitions |
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2004
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Laurent de Brunhoff: Babar’s Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, traveling to New York Public Library
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2002
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Laurent de Brunhoff: Babar’s Yoga for Elephants, Mary Ryan Gallery, New York, NY.
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1999
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Laurent de Brunhoff: Babar in Process: selections from fifty years of sketches and studies for book illustrations, Mary Ryan Gallery, New York, NY (over eighty drawings including early mock-ups of books)
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1998
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Jean de Brunhoff: Babar and Father Christmas, Mary Ryan Gallery, New York, NY (complete Babar and Father Christmas drawings with small number of Laurent de Brunhoff Babar drawings also on view)
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1997
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Telling Stories with Pictures: The Art of Children’s Book Illustration, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA (6 Laurent de Brunhoff recent watercolors)
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1996
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Laurent de Brunhoff: Watercolors, Mary Ryan Gallery, New York, NY
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1994
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Mary Ryan Gallery, New York, NY (Laurent de Brunhoff 4 Babar prints)
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1994
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Laurent de Brunhoff: the Wesleyan Years, Davison Art Center, Wesleyan University, Middleton, CT (over 60 de Brunhoff Babar drawings)
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1993
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BABAR ,exhibition for the festival D’Angouleme, Salon International de la Bande Dessinee, France (106 Babar drawings: 30 JDB; 106 LDB)
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1990
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The Art of Babar: Drawings and Watercolors by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff, participating museums:The Barnum Museum, Bridgeport, CT; Madison Art Center, Madison, WI;The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA; Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipen, Manitoba;The Frick Art Museum, Pittsburgh, PA; Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN; JB Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY; National Academy of Design, New York; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario (145 Babar drawings: 76 JDB; 69 LDB)
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1989
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Laurent de Brunhoff: Babar’s Adventures and Babar in Hollywood, drawings for the two calendars exhibited at Mary Ryan Gallery, New York, NY
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1989
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Nicholas Fox Weber’s major publication, The Art of Babar: the Work of Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff is published and leads to a second major museum travelling exhibition
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1987
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Babar: Original watercolors by Laurent de Brunhoff, Mary Ryan Gallery, New York, NY (over 40 Babar drawings from 9 books)
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1987
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Babar, Seibu Japan, 3 participating museums in Japan over a six month period (99 Babar drawings: 55 JDB; 44 LDB)
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1983 - 1984
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Fifty Years of Babar: Watercolors by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff, participating museums: Minneapolis Institute of Arts; Meridian House Int’l, Washington, DC; San Deigo Museum of Art; San Jose Museum of Art; Mary and Leigh Block Gallery, Evanston, IL; Cedar Rapids Museum; Baltimore Museum of Art; Toledo Museum of Art (214 Babar drawings: 87 JDB; 127 LDB)
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1981
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Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Story of Babar: more than 500 watercolors by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff included in major museum exhibition at the Centre Culturel du Marais in Paris. This geneis to a travelling USA museum exhibition. Babar’s Anniversary Album: Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff published for the occasion. Babar and the Ghost is also published this year.
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1948
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abstract paintings shown in group show, Galerie Maeght, Paris
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| Literature |
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1993
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The Rescue of Babar published; illustrations by Laurent and story by Phyllis Rose
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1992
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Babar’s Battle published
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1991
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a third calendar, Babar in History, is produced
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1989
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Babar’s Busy Year published
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1988
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Babar’s Little Circus Star published
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1987
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Babar’s Little Girl published; Babar and Celeste have a new baby--Isabella joinsthe series; Phyllis Rose helps write
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1986
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Babar’s Counting Book published
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1984
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Babar’s Book of Color published; because of superior printing, Laurent begins to watercolor on barely visible pencil lines keeping the heavy pen & ink outline separate. Allows for lighter, truer, painting
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1983
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Babar’s ABC published
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1980
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Babar’s Little Library published, four tiny books devoted to the elements air, earth, water, fire; also the shape book Babar the Magician published
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1980
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Babar’s Little Library published, four tiny books devoted to the elements air, earth, water, fire; also the shape book Babar the Magician published
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1979
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One Pig With Horns published
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1978
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Babar’s Mystery and Babar Learns to Cook published
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1976
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Babar Saves the Day published
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1975
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Babar and the Wully-Wully published
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1974
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Bonhomme and the Huge Beast published
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1973
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Meet Babar and His Children published
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1972
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Babar Visits Another Planet published
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1971
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Gregory and the Little Turtle published
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1970
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Babar’s Birthday Surprise published
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1970
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little books Babar’s Bookmobile published
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1969
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pop up Babar Goes to the Moon published
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1969
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little books Babar’s Other Trunk published
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1968
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pop up Babar’s Games published
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1967
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Babar Loses His Crown published
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1966
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little books Babar’s Trunk published
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1965
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Babar Comes to America published; based on at the invitation of Robert Bernstein of Random House Laurent’s first trip to the United States. Also publishes two color book outside Babar series, Bonhomme.
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1963
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Babar’s French Lessons published as well as Captain Serafina and Anatole and His Donkey
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1962
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Serafina’s Lucky Find published
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1961
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Babar’s Castle published and outside the Babar series, Serafina the Giraffe published
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1957
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At the Top of One’s Voice is published; Laurent supplies the black and white pen illustrations
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1954
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Babar’s Fair published; in part reflects his dream for the peace movement,Movement de la Paix
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1951
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Babar’s Visit to Bird Island published; lush, seminal watercolors
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