Let the Wild Rumpus Start! A Retrospective Celebrates the Illustrated Classics of the Late Maurice Sendak

“Where the Wild Things Are” (1963), tempera on paper, 9 ¾ x 11 inches. All images ©The Maurice Sendak Foundation, courtesy of Columbus Museum of Art, shared with permission

The late artist and author Maurice Sendak is responsible for bringing us some of the most beloved, iconic childhood stories, and his distinctive style and fantastical beasts defined classics like In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, and of course, the ever-popular Where the Wild Things Are. Opening this fall at the Columbus Museum of Art, an expansive retrospective surveys Sendak’s unparalleled contributions to both children’s literature and the discipline, more broadly.

Wild Things are Happening is the largest exhibition of the artist’s work to date, containing more than 150 sketches, original illustrations, storyboards, and paintings from his own projects and collaborations. The show also references his myriad inspirations and influences with works by William Blake, Walt Disney, and Beatrix Potter, among others.

Wild Things are Happening runs from October 22, 2022, to March 5, 2023, before heading to Paris and other locations. A concurrent exhibition of Sendak’s performance-based works is on view at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry in Connecticut through December 16. (via Creative Boom)

 

Let the Wild Rumpus Start! A Retrospective Celebrates the Illustrated Classics of the Late Maurice Sendak

“Where the Wild Things Are” (1963), tempera on paper, 9 ¾ x 22 inches

Let the Wild Rumpus Start! A Retrospective Celebrates the Illustrated Classics of the Late Maurice Sendak

Mockup for the Cover of “Nutshell Library” (1962), ink and tempera, 10 3/8 x 8 1/8 inches

Let the Wild Rumpus Start! A Retrospective Celebrates the Illustrated Classics of the Late Maurice Sendak

“Higglety, Pigglety, Pop!” (1967), ink on paper, 11 ½ x 9 inches

Let the Wild Rumpus Start! A Retrospective Celebrates the Illustrated Classics of the Late Maurice Sendak

“Little Bear” (1957), ink on paper, 11 x 8 ½ inches

Let the Wild Rumpus Start! A Retrospective Celebrates the Illustrated Classics of the Late Maurice Sendak

Design for the Poster of “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Higglety Pigglety Pop! Opera,” Glyndebourne Production (1985), watercolor on paper, 33 ½ x 23 ½ inches

Let the Wild Rumpus Start! A Retrospective Celebrates the Illustrated Classics of the Late Maurice Sendak

“Rosie and Buttermilk, her Cat,” character studies for “Really Rosie” animation (1973), watercolor and ink on paper, 13 ¾ x 15 5/8 inches

Let the Wild Rumpus Start! A Retrospective Celebrates the Illustrated Classics of the Late Maurice Sendak

“Self-Portrait” (1950), ink on paper, 10 ¾ x 16 ½ inches

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