PHILADELPHIA — The Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia is the sole repository of the original artwork of famed author and illustrator Maurice Sendak and a foremost authority on all things Sendak. Author of Where the Wild Things Are and 108 other books, Maurice Sendak, now 81 years old, chose the Rosenbach to be the permanent home of his work in the early 1970s thanks to shared literary and collecting interests.
The Rosenbach’s Sendak collection is the largest collection of “Sendakiana” in the world, with over 10,000 preliminary sketches, final drawings, manuscripts, books, and ephemera as well as exclusive recent interview footage in which Sendak discusses his life, childhood, work, and inspirations.
To coincide with the October 16 release of the Warner Bros. live-action film adaptation of Sendak’s acclaimed children’s classic, Where the Wild Things Are, the Rosenbach celebrates the author’s Caldecott-winning picture book of the same name with a special exhibition, And It’s Still Hot: Where the Wild Things Are, open now thru October 25, 2009. The exhibition includes original watercolors, sketches, and manuscripts for the book. Visitors can also see posters, drawings, and advertisements that reveal the life of the Wild Things outside the book and discover why this story is still hot after almost fifty years in print.
The Where the Wild Things Are-themed exhibition is part of the Rosenbach’s Wild Things Days which include Sendak-themed events, tours and exhibitions for audiences looking to experience the art and work of Maurice Sendak up-close and in-person.
Throughout the year, the Rosenbach displays rotating Sendak-specific exhibitions featuring work from the museum’s vast Sendak collection and offers special Sendak-themed Hands-On Tours, events and educational programming. The museum also lends from its Sendak collection to other museums around the country.
This week, New York’s Morgan Library & Museum opens Where the Wild Things Are: Original Drawings by Maurice Sendak (October 6 – November 1, 2009), which includes twelve drawings and two manuscript pages on loan from the Rosenbach.
In San Francisco, The Contemporary Jewish Museum presents the Rosenbach’s traveling exhibition and major retrospective of Sendak’s work, There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak (through January 19, 2010), bringing the largest and most ambitious exhibition of Sendak’s work to West Coast audiences. Hailed as “a splendidly evocative exhibition” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), There’s a Mystery There features original artwork, rare sketches, never-before-seen working materials and exclusive interviews with Maurice Sendak himself. The exhibition garnered critical acclaim and accolades from visitors during its Philadelphia run. Curated by the Rosenbach’s Traveling Exhibitions Coordinator Patrick Rodgers, with the support of the Rosenbach’s exhibition team, There’s a Mystery There is the first multi-venue touring exhibition the Rosenbach museum has created.
A companion DVD, There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak: A Retrospective in Words and Pictures, is also available. The DVD features exclusive interview footage with Sendak at his Connecticut home and in his private studio, and explores his extraordinary career through his own words. The DVD offers viewers the rare opportunity to experience Sendak’s prolific imagination first-hand as the author discusses his favorite characters and the many influences and settings of his stories.
Fans of Sendak’s work also have the opportunity to view and purchase original Sendak drawings at Sendak in SoHo, a sale and exhibition (through November 8, 2009) at Animazing Gallery, a private gallery in New York City. More than 50 original pieces by Sendak will be on display, along with the sale of a commemorative poster, which will benefit the Rosenbach Museum & Library.
ABOUT SENDAK AT THE ROSENBACH
The Rosenbach Museum & Library is the sole repository of the original artwork of Maurice Sendak and a foremost authority on all things Sendak. Sendak, now 81 years old, chose the Rosenbach to be the permanent home of his work in the early 1970s thanks to shared literary and collecting interests. The Rosenbach’s Sendak collection is the largest collection of “Sendakiana” in the world, with over 10,000 preliminary sketches, final drawings, manuscripts, books, and ephemera as well as exclusive recent interview footage (www.youtube.com/RosenbachMuseum) in which Sendak discusses his life, childhood, work, and inspirations.
WILD THINGS DAYS – EXHIBITIONS, PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Where: The Rosenbach Museum & Library
2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Hours: Tuesday & Friday, 12pm – 5pm, Wednesday & Thursday 12pm – 8pm, Saturdays & Sundays, 12pm - 6pm
Closed Mondays and National Holidays.
Admission: Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for students and free for children under 5.
Information: (215) 732-1600 or visit www.rosenbach.org.
All events are free with museum admission.
Exhibition: And It’s Still Hot: Where the Wild Things Are
Now through October 25, 2009
This fall, as Hollywood transforms a children’s classic into a live action film, celebrate Maurice Sendak’s Caldecott-winning picture book, Where the Wild Things Are, with the exhibition And It’s Still Hot: Where the Wild Things Are. Find out how Sendak created Max, the Wild Things, and their exotic land while viewing the original watercolors, sketches, and manuscripts for the book. Visitors can also see posters, drawings, and advertisements that reveal the life of the Wild Things outside the book, and discover why this story is still hot after almost fifty years in print.
Exhibition: Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew
Now through January 17, 2010
Dig into an exhibition about food, eating, and being eaten in the illustrations of Maurice Sendak. Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew presents 40 original Sendak illustrations that show how food brings families together, helps children forge new friendships, and nourishes us emotionally and intellectually. The exhibition is appropriate for families and kids of all ages.
Gallery Talk: Maurice, Max and the Wild Things
Thursday, October 8 at 6pm
Join Patrick Rodgers, curator of the A Sendak Stew exhibition, and follow in the huge footsteps of Maurice Sendak’s Wild Things during this gallery talk about their origins, their impact, and their ravenous appetite! Explore original artwork and manuscripts from Where the Wild Things Are and listen to interviews with Sendak describing his relationship to these famous beasts.
Hands-On Tour: Wild Things
Wednesday, October 14; Sunday, October 18; Friday, October 23
All tours will be held at 3:00pm
Get a new perspective on an old favorite with this rumpus through Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. On this tour, visitors will re-discover Sendak’s world-famous creations, the Wild Things, and his mischievous hero, Max, by safely handling original artifacts from the Sendak collection. Examine manuscripts of the story from Sendak’s old notebooks, pass around original drawings of the beastly Wild Things, listen to the Wild Things sing in an opera from 1979, and follow the life of the Wild Things outside of the book. The tour will also feature an exclusive look at photos of Sendak’s family – those aunts and uncles who inspired the Wild Things – and a hand-written draft of Where the Wild Horses Are, Sendak’s earliest version of the story. This tour is led by Patrick Rodgers and appropriate for ages 8 and up.
Wild Things Family Day
Saturday, October 17, 12 – 4pm
Spend an afternoon with the family taking part in a variety of “Wild” activities geared towards kids of all ages. Create Wild Things-inspired crafts, take a spin through the Rosenbach’s Sendak galleries with a family gallery guide or just settle down with a snack and a copy of your favorite Sendak book!
ABOUT MAURICE SENDAK
One of the most famous creators of contemporary children's books, Maurice Sendak has challenged the norms of children's literature over time and continues to entrance both children and adults to this day. His innovative techniques and honest portrayal of childhood emotion are celebrated worldwide and have earned him several prestigious honors, including the Caldecott Book Medal (1964), the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal (1970), the National Medal of Arts (1996), a Library of Congress "Living Legend" medal (2000) and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature (2003).
ABOUT THE ROSENBACH
The Rosenbach Museum & Library seeks to inspire curiosity, inquiry and creativity by engaging broad audiences in exhibitions, programs and research based on its remarkable and expanding collections. The museum was founded by legendary book dealer A.S.W. Rosenbach and his brother and business partner Philip. With an outstanding collection of rare books, manuscripts, furniture and art, the Rosenbach is a museum and world-renowned research library, set within two historic 1865 townhouses, that reflects an age when great collectors lived among their treasures.
The Rosenbach’s Sendak collection is the largest collection of “Sendakiana” in the world, with over 10,000 preliminary sketches, final drawings, manuscripts, books, and ephemera as well as exclusive recent interview footage in which Sendak discusses his life, childhood, work, and inspirations.
To coincide with the October 16 release of the Warner Bros. live-action film adaptation of Sendak’s acclaimed children’s classic, Where the Wild Things Are, the Rosenbach celebrates the author’s Caldecott-winning picture book of the same name with a special exhibition, And It’s Still Hot: Where the Wild Things Are, open now thru October 25, 2009. The exhibition includes original watercolors, sketches, and manuscripts for the book. Visitors can also see posters, drawings, and advertisements that reveal the life of the Wild Things outside the book and discover why this story is still hot after almost fifty years in print.
The Where the Wild Things Are-themed exhibition is part of the Rosenbach’s Wild Things Days which include Sendak-themed events, tours and exhibitions for audiences looking to experience the art and work of Maurice Sendak up-close and in-person.
Throughout the year, the Rosenbach displays rotating Sendak-specific exhibitions featuring work from the museum’s vast Sendak collection and offers special Sendak-themed Hands-On Tours, events and educational programming. The museum also lends from its Sendak collection to other museums around the country.
This week, New York’s Morgan Library & Museum opens Where the Wild Things Are: Original Drawings by Maurice Sendak (October 6 – November 1, 2009), which includes twelve drawings and two manuscript pages on loan from the Rosenbach.
In San Francisco, The Contemporary Jewish Museum presents the Rosenbach’s traveling exhibition and major retrospective of Sendak’s work, There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak (through January 19, 2010), bringing the largest and most ambitious exhibition of Sendak’s work to West Coast audiences. Hailed as “a splendidly evocative exhibition” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), There’s a Mystery There features original artwork, rare sketches, never-before-seen working materials and exclusive interviews with Maurice Sendak himself. The exhibition garnered critical acclaim and accolades from visitors during its Philadelphia run. Curated by the Rosenbach’s Traveling Exhibitions Coordinator Patrick Rodgers, with the support of the Rosenbach’s exhibition team, There’s a Mystery There is the first multi-venue touring exhibition the Rosenbach museum has created.
A companion DVD, There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak: A Retrospective in Words and Pictures, is also available. The DVD features exclusive interview footage with Sendak at his Connecticut home and in his private studio, and explores his extraordinary career through his own words. The DVD offers viewers the rare opportunity to experience Sendak’s prolific imagination first-hand as the author discusses his favorite characters and the many influences and settings of his stories.
Fans of Sendak’s work also have the opportunity to view and purchase original Sendak drawings at Sendak in SoHo, a sale and exhibition (through November 8, 2009) at Animazing Gallery, a private gallery in New York City. More than 50 original pieces by Sendak will be on display, along with the sale of a commemorative poster, which will benefit the Rosenbach Museum & Library.
ABOUT SENDAK AT THE ROSENBACH
The Rosenbach Museum & Library is the sole repository of the original artwork of Maurice Sendak and a foremost authority on all things Sendak. Sendak, now 81 years old, chose the Rosenbach to be the permanent home of his work in the early 1970s thanks to shared literary and collecting interests. The Rosenbach’s Sendak collection is the largest collection of “Sendakiana” in the world, with over 10,000 preliminary sketches, final drawings, manuscripts, books, and ephemera as well as exclusive recent interview footage (www.youtube.com/RosenbachMuseum) in which Sendak discusses his life, childhood, work, and inspirations.
WILD THINGS DAYS – EXHIBITIONS, PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Where: The Rosenbach Museum & Library
2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Hours: Tuesday & Friday, 12pm – 5pm, Wednesday & Thursday 12pm – 8pm, Saturdays & Sundays, 12pm - 6pm
Closed Mondays and National Holidays.
Admission: Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for students and free for children under 5.
Information: (215) 732-1600 or visit www.rosenbach.org.
All events are free with museum admission.
Exhibition: And It’s Still Hot: Where the Wild Things Are
Now through October 25, 2009
This fall, as Hollywood transforms a children’s classic into a live action film, celebrate Maurice Sendak’s Caldecott-winning picture book, Where the Wild Things Are, with the exhibition And It’s Still Hot: Where the Wild Things Are. Find out how Sendak created Max, the Wild Things, and their exotic land while viewing the original watercolors, sketches, and manuscripts for the book. Visitors can also see posters, drawings, and advertisements that reveal the life of the Wild Things outside the book, and discover why this story is still hot after almost fifty years in print.
Exhibition: Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew
Now through January 17, 2010
Dig into an exhibition about food, eating, and being eaten in the illustrations of Maurice Sendak. Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew presents 40 original Sendak illustrations that show how food brings families together, helps children forge new friendships, and nourishes us emotionally and intellectually. The exhibition is appropriate for families and kids of all ages.
Gallery Talk: Maurice, Max and the Wild Things
Thursday, October 8 at 6pm
Join Patrick Rodgers, curator of the A Sendak Stew exhibition, and follow in the huge footsteps of Maurice Sendak’s Wild Things during this gallery talk about their origins, their impact, and their ravenous appetite! Explore original artwork and manuscripts from Where the Wild Things Are and listen to interviews with Sendak describing his relationship to these famous beasts.
Hands-On Tour: Wild Things
Wednesday, October 14; Sunday, October 18; Friday, October 23
All tours will be held at 3:00pm
Get a new perspective on an old favorite with this rumpus through Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. On this tour, visitors will re-discover Sendak’s world-famous creations, the Wild Things, and his mischievous hero, Max, by safely handling original artifacts from the Sendak collection. Examine manuscripts of the story from Sendak’s old notebooks, pass around original drawings of the beastly Wild Things, listen to the Wild Things sing in an opera from 1979, and follow the life of the Wild Things outside of the book. The tour will also feature an exclusive look at photos of Sendak’s family – those aunts and uncles who inspired the Wild Things – and a hand-written draft of Where the Wild Horses Are, Sendak’s earliest version of the story. This tour is led by Patrick Rodgers and appropriate for ages 8 and up.
Wild Things Family Day
Saturday, October 17, 12 – 4pm
Spend an afternoon with the family taking part in a variety of “Wild” activities geared towards kids of all ages. Create Wild Things-inspired crafts, take a spin through the Rosenbach’s Sendak galleries with a family gallery guide or just settle down with a snack and a copy of your favorite Sendak book!
ABOUT MAURICE SENDAK
One of the most famous creators of contemporary children's books, Maurice Sendak has challenged the norms of children's literature over time and continues to entrance both children and adults to this day. His innovative techniques and honest portrayal of childhood emotion are celebrated worldwide and have earned him several prestigious honors, including the Caldecott Book Medal (1964), the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal (1970), the National Medal of Arts (1996), a Library of Congress "Living Legend" medal (2000) and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature (2003).
ABOUT THE ROSENBACH
The Rosenbach Museum & Library seeks to inspire curiosity, inquiry and creativity by engaging broad audiences in exhibitions, programs and research based on its remarkable and expanding collections. The museum was founded by legendary book dealer A.S.W. Rosenbach and his brother and business partner Philip. With an outstanding collection of rare books, manuscripts, furniture and art, the Rosenbach is a museum and world-renowned research library, set within two historic 1865 townhouses, that reflects an age when great collectors lived among their treasures.