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celebrated picture book artist of all time--with previously unpublished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 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previously unpublished sketches, storyboards and paintings that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.
