Conversation + Book Signing:
Mona’s Eyes
Thomas Schlesser in conversation with Laura Marx Fitzgerald
Schedule
Thursday, September 25, 2025
“Vibrant debut … Schlesser seamlessly interweaves the art lessons with Mona’s story … Readers of Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World will love this.” — Publishers Weekly
“A seismic shift in the world of publishing. Sophie’s World set in the art world.”— Le Figaro
Join Thomas Schlesser on the North American tour for his debut novel, Mona’s Eyes, the sensational #1 best-seller about art, beauty, and learning how to live and love that has taken the world by storm.
Before ten-year-old Mona goes blind, she and her grandfather make a pact: they will spend each Wednesday visiting one work of art—52 artworks in 52 weeks—and commit each one to memory. From Botticelli to Basquiat, Mona learns throughout these visits how each artist’s work shaped the world around them. In turn, the young girl’s world is changed forever by the power of their art. Under the kind and careful tutelage of her grandfather, Mona learns the true meaning of generosity, melancholy, love, loss, and revolution. Schlesser’s extraordinary debut novel is at once a moving book about the beauty of life and a deeply touching story about the special bond between a girl and her grandfather.
Conversation followed by a book signing. MAM members and L’Alliance members are invited to a private wine reception with the author at 6PM. Books are available for pre-order from Watchung Booksellers. French and English editions of the book will also be available for purchase at the event.
This event is part of the MAM Conversation Series “From Resistance to Revelation: Stories of Art and Intrigue in France.” Series pass tickets are available. Other events in this series include: The Art Spy with Michelle Young on Sunday, September 28 at 3PM, and Matisse at War with Christopher C. Gorham on Sunday, October 12 at 7PM.
Co-Presented with The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) and Watchung Booksellers.
Wine reception presented with support from Europa Editions.
Venue
Event Pricing
Children under seventeen (17) years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times and may not attend events unattended.
Thomas Schlesser
Thomas Schlesser is the director of the Hartung-Bergman Foundation in Antibes, France. He teaches Art History at the École Polytechnique in Paris and is the author of several works of nonfiction about art, artists, and the relationship between art and politics in the 20th century. He is the grandson of André Schlesser, known as Dadé, a singer and cabaret performer who founded the Cabaret L’Écluse. Mona’s Eyes is Schlesser’s second novel and his American debut. It has been translated into thirty-eight languages, including Braille. Schlesser was awarded 2025’s Author of the Year by Livres Hebdo.
Lead Image: Mona’s Eyes, courtesy of Europa Editions; Headshot © Pascal Ito Smol
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