'The Little Prince' statue on Fifth Avenue celebrates book's 80th anniversary
UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) – The beloved children's book "The Little Prince" was published 80 years ago this month.
To mark the occasion and its connection to New York, the book was honored with a statue on Fifth Avenue near East 79th Street on the Upper East Side. The 4-foot bronze statue of the Little Prince himself is now on display outside Villa Albertine, a French art institute and library.
Author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry lived in New York when he came up with the idea for the character.
The artist who created the sculpture, Jean-Marc de Pas, said the book's message of compassion and curiosity resonates through generations.
“You can find a lesson for life, for friends, for love, for fraternity. It’s a light for humanity, this book,” he told PIX11 News during a recent unveiling of the sculpture.
The "The Little Prince" has been translated into more than 500 languages. The Morgan Library in Manhattan holds the original manuscript and drawings in its collection.
Lauren Cook is a digital journalist who has covered local news in the New York City area for over a decade. She has been with PIX11 since 2020. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter.