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Monday, October 12th, 2009

Wild Things Arrives

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Final Drawing for Where the Wild Things Are. (Image: © Maurice Sendak, 1963. All rights reserved.)

There’s lots going on in anticipation of this week’s theatrical release of Spike Jonze’s adaptation of the children’s classic, Where the Wild Things Are. While much of the spotlight is on MoMA’s survey of Jonze’s accomplishments in film, several other events focus on Maurice Sendak, the story’s creator.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco is hosting There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak, on view now through Jan. 19, 2010. The exhibit features watercolors, preliminary sketches, drawings, and dummy books from more than 40 of Sendak’s books. All works are on loan from the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, which holds the world’s largest collection of Sendak’s art, including some ten thousand items including drawings and manuscripts for over one hundred books, as well as prints, paintings, hand-made books, and a wide range of other ephemera.

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Bruno, 1979. Concept Drawing for Where the Wild Things Are Opera (Image: via Animazing Gallery, © Maurice Sendak. All rights reserved.

The Rosenbach Museum has aslo lent twelve drawings and two manuscript pages for Where the Wild Things Are: Original Drawings by Maurice Sendak, taking place at the Morgan Library in New York.

Coinciding with these exhibits is Sendak in Soho, the largest ever sale of original art directly from the artist’s collection, including over 200 works, as well as a limited edition bronze sculpture. The show is currently on view at Animazing Gallery and runs till Nov. 8.

Lastly, The Rosenbach is currently holding two of their own Sendak exhibits. While And It’s Still Hot: Where The Wild Things Are focuses on the popular book, Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew presents a refreshing curatorial approach that does not focus on Wild Things, and instead explores the reoccurring themes of food, eating, and being eaten in Sendak’s books.



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