# Antoine de Saint-Exupery artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/antoine-de-saint-exupery/
Profile generated: 2026-05-14T18:23:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1900-06-29
- Death date: 1944-07-31
- Nationality: French
- Movements: 20th-century French literature and illustration; not formally associated with a visual-art movement
- Common media: Watercolor, Ink drawing, Manuscript

## About Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900–1944) was a French writer, poet, aviator, and illustrator best known for Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), one of the most translated and widely read books in the world. Born in Lyon and raised in the French countryside, he trained as a pilot in the 1920s and drew on his experiences flying airmail routes across North Africa and South America to write novels including Courrier Sud, Vol de nuit, and Terre des hommes. During World War II he served as a reconnaissance pilot for the Free French Air Force. He disappeared over the Mediterranean near Marseille on July 31, 1944. In addition to his literary legacy, he produced a distinctive body of watercolor illustrations and ink drawings to accompany his texts, most famously the evocative images for Le Petit Prince. These original illustrations are now among the most sought-after works by a 20th-century author-artist at auction.

## Common works and media

Works by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry that collectors and appraisers may encounter include original watercolor illustrations for Le Petit Prince, ink drawings and preparatory sketches related to his books, handwritten manuscripts and corrected proofs, signed and inscribed first editions of his major titles (Courrier Sud, Vol de nuit, Terre des hommes, Pilote de guerre, Le Petit Prince), personal letters and aviation logbook entries, and authorized poster or print reproductions of his iconic illustrations. The body of surviving original visual work is small, making authenticated pieces especially significant.

## Market and appraisal context

Original watercolors and drawings by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry appear infrequently at auction and are valued for their direct connection to Le Petit Prince and other published works. Collectors should consider provenance, authentication through the artist's estate or the Succession Saint-Exupéry, condition of the paper support, and whether the work is a published illustration, a preparatory sketch, or a standalone drawing. Signed first editions, manuscripts, and letters also trade actively. Reproductions, licensed prints, and later editions are common in the market and should be distinguished from original artwork. Appraisal values are influenced by rarity, cultural significance, publication history, and documented provenance.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine researched artist identity data from library authorities, museum records, and the artist's official estate with available auction records, sale dates, realized prices, lot descriptions, and comparable market data. For Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, identity data is grounded in the Getty ULAN, VIAF, Library of Congress, RKD, and Wikidata authority files, supplemented by the official Saint-Exupéry estate website. Market context reflects the auction presence tracked in the Appraisily database.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2908
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500339023
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/93810507/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80126188
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/322628
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_de_Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry
- Succession Antoine de Saint-Exupéry / Estate: https://www.antoinedesaintexupery.com/