All photos courtesy of Christie’s
Christie’s is presenting a free exhibition and special auction featuring the personal collection of beloved children’s book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. On view at 20 Rockefeller Plaza through June 10, the exhibition includes Sendak’s drawings, works by other children’s book artists, first printings of books by William Blake, Disney memorabilia, and more. The auction will be held in person and online on June 10, what would have been Sendak’s 97th birthday, and will feature art, rare books, and artifacts that inspired him, with proceeds supporting the Sendak Fellowship to nurture the next generation of children’s book artists.
The Brooklyn-born artist is best known for his classic children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are,” which has captivated generations with the story of Max’s journey to a mysterious land and back and the creatures he encounters along the way.
Included in the exhibition are items connected to the story, including a library poster Sendak created featuring one of the creatures, and a Wild Thing birthday card he created for English typographer and book designer John Ryder in 1987.
Other highlights include a signed costume design of the lion from “Higglety Pigglety Pop!,” first printings of William Blake’s hand-illustrated books “Songs of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience,” drawings by fellow children’s book illustrators Eric Carle and Randolph Caldecott, several pieces of Disney memorabilia, and a napkin sketch of Bugs Bunny by legendary animator Chuck Jones, among many other treasures.
Much of the proceeds from the auction will go toward maintaining the Maurice Sendak Foundation’s house in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where the artist lived for more than 40 years, as well as supporting the programs currently hosted there.
According to the New York Times, the works were selected for auction by Lynn Caponera, the foundation’s executive director, and Jonathan Weinberg, its curator and director of research. Caponera noted that many of the items were either duplicates of pieces already in the collection or too valuable and delicate to store or display in Ridgefield.
The auction also honors the wishes of Sendak himself, who once said in an interview that he wanted all of his belongings dispersed after his death.
“Things of mine when I’m no longer in this world, I intend to leave in my will that they be auctioned off again,” Sendak said in an interview, as reported by the Times.
“I don’t want to leave them to anybody because I had so much fun getting them. I’d like them all dispersed. They don’t ‘belong’ to anybody. You don’t ‘own’ those things. You just have possession of them during that brief period of time you’re here.”
Sendak began collecting in the late 1950s, and after the success of his acclaimed books “Where the Wild Things Are” and “In the Night Kitchen,” he was able to acquire more valuable items. This includes watercolors by William Blake—the 18th-century English poet and painter—depicting scenes from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which Christie’s estimates will sell for $400,000 to $600,000, according to the Times.
Other high-value items include a rare German tinplate toy from the 1930s of Mickey and Minnie Mouse riding a motorcycle, which is estimated to sell for $30,000 to $50,000, and etchings by Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, and George Stubbs.
Alongside the auction and exhibition, Christie’s is partnering with the New York Public Library and FAO Schwarz—the store where Sendak worked and was first discovered by his book agent—to host Maurice Sendak Day. The celebration will honor the illustrator’s legacy with themed storytimes, arts and crafts, and highlight both the auction and the work of the Maurice Sendak Foundation.
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