Jacket, Place de la Concorde

Jacket, Place de la Concorde, charms the viewer with memories of the wonderful childhood stories of the character Madeline, a schoolgirl in Paris who was the bravest of her kind. Painted by Ludwig Bemelmans by 1956 when his third book, Madeline and the Bad Hat, was first published, the present work incorporates the entire splendor of the Madeline series into one illustration. After Bemelmans' marriage in 1935, and the subsequent birth of his daughter, Barbara, the artist and author developed the character of Madeline, named after his wife and modeled after his daughter. This began a series which developed over thirty years and seven successful books, one of which was published posthumously. Bemelmans' oeuvre includes over forty published books, countless illustrations and the wall murals of Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle, New York, named in the artist's honor.