From the creator of Madeleine

Ludwig Bemelmans’ New York City

The Palm Court at the Plaza, by Ludwig Bemelmans. (1943)

Whether you know his work from the Madeleine Children’s books, or from his iconic mural at the Carlyle Hotel, nothing screams New York City quite like the art of Ludwig Bemelmans.

As a young man he left the Austria-Hungarian Empire to start a new life in New York. He quickly found employment at the newly opened Ritz-Carlton hotel, where he gathered inspiration for his art and stories.

Both a quick-witted cartoonist and a highly accomplished children’s author, his illustrations depict the whimsical side of the life of New York’s City’s restaurateurs.

He painted numerous self portraits of his work at the Ritz, as well as caricatures of the guests and his employers. In this image -used as a cover for the New Yorker magazine- a waiter (or is it a guest?) enjoys a quick nap after a sumptuous meal.

If you visit New York City, make sure to stop by the Bemelmans bar at the Carlyle hotel in the upper East side. Little known fact: it’s the world’s largest display of Bemelmans drawings, as he painted a mural across the entire bar. It’s an iconic “old New York” hangout, and even though it’s in the hotel, completely open to the public. So you don’t have to be a guest at the hotel to enjoy the art. Honestly it’s so worth it. And who knows, you might even bump into Bill Murray.

As someone who grew up reading the Madeleine series, I love that there’s so much more of a Bemelmans work left to discover as an adult. If you’re interested, I’d recommend the recently released “Thames and Hudson” Art Book (edited by Quentin Blake) that features a great retrospective of his life and work.

Julian

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