Wild Things at the Rosenbach

Preliminary sketch for "Where the Wild Things Are"--there is a tissue overlay with graphite shading, pencil sketch underneath

I recently travelled to Philadelphia to the Rosenbach Museum & Library to see their exhibit "The Night Max Wore His Wolf Suit." It was a small exhibit, nicely focused on Where the Wild Things Are in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of its publication.

The exhibit consisted mainly of letters and sketches that showed the stages of development for the story and art. I was hoping for more of the final drawings, but there were several included so that was good.

One terrific bonus in the exhibit (speaking of final drawings) was a beautiful pen and ink drawing from Kenny's Window. 



Follow this link for information about the recent exhibit:

Wild Things Exhibit at the Rosenbach

A huge banner version of this poster is on display at the Rosenbach Library

Maurice Sendak's Wild Things Celebrated at the Rosenbach Library

Maurice Sendak's glorious picture book Where the Wild Things Are is 50 years old.  Drawings and paintings for the book are on display in Philadelphia at the Rosenbach Library.  Mr. Sendak gave many of his drawings and illustrations to this library.  Information on the current exhibition can be found at this site:
http://www.rosenbach.org/learn/exhibitions/night-max-wore-his-wolf-suit

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Harper Trophy edition (1963) 1984, 25th Anniversary Edition, copyright page

Maurice Sendak on the balance between text and picture

Maurice Sendak, June 10, 1928--May 8, 2012.

...Interpretive illustration involves a kind of vigorous working with the writer. The difficulty and strain and joy of that particular book is the balancing between the text and the pictures. You must not ever be doing the same thing, must not ever be illustrating exactly what you've written. You must leave a space in the text so the picture can do the work. Then you must come back with the word, and now the word does it best and the picture beats time.

It's a funny kind of juggling act.

--from A Conversation with Walter Lorraine, October 1977, Wilson Library Bulletin

This illustration is from Kenny's Window, 1956, Harper & Row, Publishers, New York. Story and Pictures by Maurice Sendak.

Photo credit: The Washington Times.  Mr. Sendak autographing pictures from Mother Goose.

There is a moment of delight when you are reading a new picture book and you say to yourself, Look what the illustrator did with the story here!  I love that moment and I think that Mr. Sendak explains well how this kind of collaborative magic comes about.  LA