Bemelmans the Life and Art of Madeline's Creator

Although best known for his Madeline books, Ludwig Bemelmans’ creativity extended far beyond the old house in Paris. He was a novelist and a non-fiction writer, as well as a regular contributor to The New Yorker, Holiday and Town and Country. He also painted murals in a bar at the Carlyle Hotel that still bears his name. Throughout his life he was a celebrated bon vivant who experienced a rich variety of people, places and personalities. He even sold a screenplay to MGM, and planned to collaborate on a book with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Late in his life Bemelmans became a serious painter, and today his work can be found in such leading museums as the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Musee National d’Art of Paris, and many others. In this elegant volume his fascinating life story is told through letters, photographs, sketches, illustrations, paintings and excerpts from both his published writings and his private journals, all selected by his grandson, John Bemelmans Marciano.