Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak
Edited by Jonathan Weinberg. Introduction by Lynn Caponera. Text by Thomas Crow, John Bell, Tyler Fallas, Clara Nguyen. Interviews with Carroll Ballard, Brother Christopher, John Dugdale, Michael di Capua, Spike Jonze, Twyla Tharp, Arthur Yorinks.
The most comprehensive survey of the work of Maurice Sendak, the most celebrated picture book artist of all time—with previously unpublished archival materials
Published with The Columbus Museum of Art.
Published in conjunction with the eponymous Sendak retrospective touring museums in the United States and Europe in 2022–24, Wild Things Are Happening emphasizes Maurice Sendak’s relationship to the history of art and the influences of his art collecting on his images. It features previously unpublished sketches, storyboards and paintings that emphasize Sendak’s creative processes. Bringing together a broad diversity of perspectives on the award-winning artist, the book includes an extended essay by the renowned art historian Thomas Crow that traces the genesis and cultural contexts of Sendak’s most famous book, Where the Wild Things Are. It also includes interviews and appreciations by many of Sendak’s key collaborators, including Carroll Ballard, Michael Di Capua, John Dugdale, Spike Jonze, Twyla Tharp and Arthur Yorinks. Maurice Sendak (1928–2012) was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrant parents from Poland. A largely self-taught artist, Sendak wrote and illustrated over 150 books during his 60-year career, including Kenny’s Window, Very Far Away, The Sign on Rosie’s Door, Nutshell Library (consisting of Chicken Soup with Rice, Alligators All Around, One Was Johnny and Pierre), Higglety Pigglety Pop!, Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There. He collaborated with such celebrated authors as Meindert DeJong, Tony Kushner, Randall Jarrell, Ruth Krauss, Else Holmelund Minarik and Isaac Bashevis Singer, and he illustrated classics by the Brothers Grimm, Melville and Tolstoy.
Maurice Sendak, Self-Portrait, 1950, ink on paper, 10 3/4 x 16 1/2 in. Copyright The Maurice Sendak Foundation.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
The New York Times Book Review
Lauren Christensen
A new book collects six decades’ worth of the artist’s work [...] From sketching other kids playing in the street outside his childhood window, to the long, regimented days spent drawing, painting and writing in his Connecticut studio as an adult, Sendak remained dedicated all his life to at least one theme: wandering.
Airmail
Julia Vitale
An exquisite new book...There are so many treasures here it’s hard to know where to begin.
Artforum
Nicole Rudick
His blending of a child’s perspective with the visual vocabulary of “grown-up” fine art not only reveals his faith in a child’s ability to deal with complex material, but may also have some bearing on the longevity of his books’ appeal—that is, why we continue to love them even after we have left our childhoods behind.
Hyperallergic
AX Mina
The book rewards readers with a deep dive into Sendak’s work and process...beautifully captures his prolific career.
The Children's Book Review
Bianca Schulze
It’s a rare treat to see these iconic images in their original form.
The New York Times
Megan McCrea
Emotion still pulses through Sendak’s books, as palpable as ever.
Artnet
Verity Babbs
The largest retrospective of the work of the beloved American author and illustrator to date.
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Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak
Published by DelMonico Books. Edited by Jonathan Weinberg. Introduction by Lynn Caponera. Text by Thomas Crow, John Bell, Tyler Fallas, Clara Nguyen. Interviews with Carroll Ballard, Brother Christopher, John Dugdale, Michael di Capua, Spike Jonze, Twyla Tharp, Arthur Yorinks.
The most comprehensive survey of the work of Maurice Sendak, the most celebrated picture book artist of all time—with previously unpublished archival materials
Published with The Columbus Museum of Art.
Published in conjunction with the eponymous Sendak retrospective touring museums in the United States and Europe in 2022–24, Wild Things Are Happening emphasizes Maurice Sendak’s relationship to the history of art and the influences of his art collecting on his images. It features previously unpublished sketches, storyboards and paintings that emphasize Sendak’s creative processes.
Bringing together a broad diversity of perspectives on the award-winning artist, the book includes an extended essay by the renowned art historian Thomas Crow that traces the genesis and cultural contexts of Sendak’s most famous book, Where the Wild Things Are. It also includes interviews and appreciations by many of Sendak’s key collaborators, including Carroll Ballard, Michael Di Capua, John Dugdale, Spike Jonze, Twyla Tharp and Arthur Yorinks.
Maurice Sendak (1928–2012) was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrant parents from Poland. A largely self-taught artist, Sendak wrote and illustrated over 150 books during his 60-year career, including Kenny’s Window, Very Far Away, The Sign on Rosie’s Door, Nutshell Library (consisting of Chicken Soup with Rice, Alligators All Around, One Was Johnny and Pierre), Higglety Pigglety Pop!, Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There. He collaborated with such celebrated authors as Meindert DeJong, Tony Kushner, Randall Jarrell, Ruth Krauss, Else Holmelund Minarik and Isaac Bashevis Singer, and he illustrated classics by the Brothers Grimm, Melville and Tolstoy.
