I first got to know almost this famous book character (which has even inspired a tourist attraction in Korea) from watching Korean dramas and variety show. Apparently, it was so famous that the Koreans studied this literature at school. I had always been interested in reading the book since I was curious about this story.
My visit to this exhibition came totally unexpected. Ken, Justin, Jesy and I were walking around town covering all the exhibitions and art installation for Singapore Night Festival back in August 2018 when we came across this exhibition in Singapore Philatelic Museum. We initially thought it was part of the festival (which it was), but we soon learned that it’s a 9-month long exhibition.
The exhibition celebrates the 75th anniversary of publication in 2018. Featuring more than 250 exhibits, it showcases how the seminal tale came about and the unusual man behind its creation. There are also beautiful stamps and philatelic materials, personal belongings of the author, illustrations, books and sculptures, on display.
When, where and how much is the admission fee?
Date: 08 Jun 2018 - 17 Mar 2019
Time: 10:00am - 7:00pm, Daily
Place: Singapore Philatelic Museum (Level 1), 23-B Coleman Street, Singapore 179807
Price:
Adult: S$8; Child: S$6
Free admission for Singaporeans & Permanent Residents
What to expect?
The Little Prince Art Collection by Arnaud Nazare-Aga
Entering from the main entrance, we will first be greeted by ten sculptures depicting scenes and characters from the book. These sculptures are on loan from The Little Prince Art Collection by Arnaud Nazare-Aga.
The entire hall is painted in blue with yellow stars, and famous quotes from the characters are painted on the wall behind each sculptures.
The Pilot and The Little Prince
The Little Prince is a children’s imaginary tale about a stranded aviator who encounters the Little Prince who is from another planet. The author of the book, Saint-Exupéry was a French aristocrat, laureate and poet. Born just four years before the Wright Brothers took mankind to the skies, he was also an early aviator.
In the first room, we get a glimpse into his days in 1920s as one of the pioneers of international postal flight who was based in North Africa before relocating to Argentina as director of Aeroposta Argentina, a subsidiary of French airmail company Aéropostale. In 1935, Saint-Exupéry and his mechanic-navigator crashed into the Libyan desert while on an air race from Paris to Saigon. This incident that bears striking similarity to the opening scenes of The Little Prince.
In 1944, as a member of the Free French Air Force, he took off on a reconnaissance flight to spy on German troop movements but never returned and was presumed dead. A silver identify bracelet and fragments of an WWII plane matching the one he went down in, were discovered in 1998.
The said bracelet is on display, along with his military coat, pilot gloves and a copy of the first edition of “The Little Prince”, as well as around 200 stamps and other philatelic items issued by 27 countries in tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the story of The Little Prince.
The said bracelet is on display, along with his military coat, pilot gloves and a copy of the first edition of “The Little Prince”, as well as around 200 stamps and other philatelic items issued by 27 countries in tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the story of The Little Prince.
A fragment of his plane that crashed in the North African desert is also on loan from the Mehun-sur-Yèvre Museum.
Secret Garden of Little Prince
The last room exhibits all memorable icon from the book, alongside some beautiful quotes and drawings. Different copies of the published “The Little Prince” was also on display.
New From October 2018
In October 2018, five specially designed sculptures in a dark room will provide visitors, including the visually impaired, with a tactile way to experience The Little Prince.
Epilogue
We spent about an hour in the exhibition, and because of that we ended up missing the last performance at Cathay Green. It’s a pity, but we did enjoy our time with “Little Prince”. It’s not the best art exhibition around, but it’s fun if you are a fan, or if you are around the neighbourhood and looking for something to do. It’s a Philatelic Museum afterall, so there are some other exhibition on other levels, related to stamps, mails and postage system in the past. And while you are in the neighbourhood, you can make your way to Fort Canning which is within walking distance.
Little Prince: Behind The Story Exhibition is supported by the Singapore-France Cooperation Agreement. It is currently still ongoing until 17 Mar 2019. Don’t say “bojio”!
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