The Art of Maurice Sendak: 1980 to Present FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Tracing Maurice Sendak's life and work from 1980 to the present, this illustrated volume is filled with projects in various mediums, both inside and outside the children's book arena. Reproduced here are lavish set and costume designs for a number of theatrical and dance productions, from The Nutcracker to The Magic Flute to The Love for Three Oranges. Also represented is artwork for numerous posters, CD covers, book jackets, and adult books, as well as children's picture books. Profusely illustrated, this book introduces Sendak's recent work, particularly in the theater, to a wider audience and pays tribute to his genius." Playwright Tony Kushner, a longtime friend, and more recently, a collaborator with the artist, chronicles Sendak's work and provides new insights into his unique past. Using Sendak's journals, personal interviews, and a wealth of shared anecdotal experience, Kushner paints a singular portrait of a man with burning passion, acute sympathy, and a hunger for beauty. Readers are offered an intimate view into Sendak's personal and professional frustrations, as well as his triumphs.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
An assortment of books introduces art masterpieces, contemporary and historical. The Art of Maurice Sendak: 1980 to the Present by Tony Kushner takes an in-depth look at one of the most prominent artists within and beyond children's literature. Perhaps best known as the Caldecott-winning artist of Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak also wrote the libretto and produced theatrical set and costume designs for the opera version, plus posters, CD covers and much more. Picking up where The Art of Maurice Sendak (1981) left off, this volume includes a look at the artist's dark picture book, We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy, his witty illustrations for James Marshall's Swine Lake, his sets and character studies for the musical Really Rosie and the opera The Magic Flute, as well as his most recent work on the opera Brundibar and the picture book on which it is based, adapted by Kushner (see Children's Forecasts, Nov. 3). This elegant volume, lavishly filled with hundreds of Sendak's illustrations, including two expanded gatefold spreads (one from Dumps, and the other a watercolor study of the set for the Nutcracker ballet), is an enthusiastic celebration of the artist's work by an award-winning playwright and personal friend of Sendak. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
This exquisite full-color book continues the evaluation of Sendak's work that began with Selma Lane's The Art of Maurice Sendak. This present volume surveys Sendak's life and later work "as a serious adult artist" from the last two decades. Recognized worldwide as the author of Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak is shown here as a more mature artist who wrestles with despair and self-doubt as he creates three of his more daring and disturbing children's picture books-Outside Over There, Dear Mili, and We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy. In addition to his picture books, Sendak's output is incredible, including sets, costumes, and lyrics for numerous operas; detailed storyboards of the operas, showing Sendak's understanding of pictorial narrative; several posters, magazine, book, and CD covers; and illustrations for adult books that display a ribald energy and sexuality. In addition to the detailed display and evaluation of these and other works, a televised interview with Sendak is reprinted in its entirety. Celebrated playwright Kushner's heartfelt evaluation of Sendak's work and personal observations bring Sendak, the person, alive for every reader. Essential.-David A. Berone, Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
It has been 20 years since Selma G. Lanes's The Art of Maurice Sendak (Abrams, 1998) provided a "picture biography" of this groundbreaking picture-book creator. This companion volume has the same coffee-table size and is as copiously illustrated, but its new page design and approach reflect the new directions in Sendak's career as an operatic "theater artist." Playwright Tony Kushner's "unapologetically subjective" paean is divided into a prologue and six movements. They include a recapitulation of Sendak's life and work to 1980; an analysis of the "trilogy" Outside Over There, Dear Mili, and We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy; brief mention of other books since 1981; and an extended analysis of Sendak's work in the opera world. Kushner's book is a more intimate portrait than Lanes's. It addresses not only Sendak's projects but also his aesthetics and psychology. Academic institutions with programs in the arts, even those without Lanes's book, will find the volume valuable.-Sue Burgess, Framingham State College, MA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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