Maurice Sendak (American, 1928-2012). Sundance Children's Theater, 1988. Watercolor, ink, and pencil on paper. 24-1/2 x ... (Total: 3 Items)

Description

Maurice Sendak (American, 1928-2012)
Sundance Children's Theater, 1988
Watercolor, ink, and pencil on paper
24-1/2 x 20 inches (62.2 x 50.8 cm) (sheet)
Signed and dated lower left: M. Sendak 88

PROVENANCE:
The artist;
Private collection, New York, acquired from the above.

LITERATURE:
J. Schiller and D.M. David, Maurice Sendak: A Celebration of the Artist and His Work, New York, 2013, pp. 112-13, illustrated.

The preeminent children's book artist of the twentieth century, Maurice Sendak's contribution to the world of children's literature has been profound. With his unique ability to capture the joys, fears, and insecurities of childhood, he has revolutionized the content of children's stories, expanding the limits of what is considered appropriate for young people. In recognition of his achievements, Sendak has received numerous awards, including the Hans Christian Andersen International Medal in 1970 for his body of illustration work (he was the first American to be so honored); the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 1983 for his "substantial and lasting contribution to children's literature"; and the 1996 National Medal of Arts, awarded by President Bill Clinton. The New York Times reviewer Christopher Lehmann-Haupt wrote, "There is a grandeur and complexity about the pictures that intimidates. They have a quality of nightmare."

Sendak has produced over a dozen books of his own (most notably, Where the Wild Things Are), and illustrated more than seventy stories by other authors. He is celebrated both for his distinctive illustrations and for his tales, which explore, in unsentimental terms, how children deal with their fears and emotions through fantasy.

His marvelous creatures carried over into areas of his oeuvre outside of children's books. In addition to his work in books and in movie set design, Sendak also produced beautiful posters, and these posters are considered an important sub-category of the artist's body of work. Sendak stated that posters "make up a very small part of my picture making...Paradoxically, I have a disproportionate affection for these images." (S. Heller, 'Sendak's Few but Significant Posters,' in Maurice Sendak: A Celebration of the Artist and his Work, New York, 2013, p. 103)

For Sendak, posters came easy because "they were painted in rare moments of relaxation...Often they were the happy summing up of conglomerate emotions and ideas that had previously been distilled into picture books and theatrical productions...Posters are a distinct genre, but after perusing this small part of Sendak's picture making, it is easy to see that in whatever he created, he has the heat of a poster maker, the eye of a book illustrator, and the soul of an artist." (Ibid., 103-4)

Sundance Children's Theater came to fruition in 1988 while Sendak worked with Robert Redford's Sundance Institute to develop a national repertory theater for children. It is widely considered his finest depiction of the 'real' world and its natural wonders sans the fantastical creatures of his imagination. Eventually, this joint venture between Redford and Sendak proved too challenging to organize, and Sendak created his own Night Kitchen Theater with Arthur Yorinks. This marvelously detailed work stands today as not only a prime example of Sendak's work in posters, but it exemplifies his creative genius as one of the greatest storytellers of all time.

A pencil study and a copy of the offset lithograph poster of the same title accompany the present work.


More information about Maurice Sendak. See also: Sendak, Maurice, Maurice Bernard Sendak Artist.

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