He’s mainly known for his children’s books, but beloved writer-illustrator Maurice Sendak had more than one trick up his sleeve.
Maurice Sendak (1928-2012), Diorama of Moishe scrim and flower proscenium (Where the Wild Things Are), 1979-1983, watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite pencil on laminated paperboard. © The Maurice Sendak Foundation. The Morgan Library & Museum, Bequest of Maurice Sendak, 2013.103:69, 70, 71. Image by Graham Haber, 2018.
In the ‘70s, more than a decade after his most famous work was published, the Where the Wild Things Are author quietly channelled his passion for music into a successful sideline gig, moonlighting as a designer for opera and ballet. Now, those theatrical talents take the spotlight in a new display at New York City’s Morgan Library & Museum, opening June 14 and running until October 6. Called Drawing the Curtain: Maurice Sendak’s Designs for Opera and Ballet, it’s the first museum exhibit to focus on the acclaimed author’s other career—and its scope is dizzying.
Pulling from a treasure trove of some-900 pieces that Sendak left to the Morgan upon his death in 2012, the exhibit features almost 150 drawings – sketches, sheet music, storyboards, dioramas, and more – from five of his productions, including Mozart’s Magic Flute, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, and an opera based on Where the Wild Things Are, alongside props, costumes, and pieces from the museum’s collection that influenced his work. “His designs for opera and ballet have all the beauty, humor, and complexity of his picture books and illustrations, but they also put on full display his passion for art, art history, and music,” said exhibition curator Rachel Federman in a statement.
Maurice Sendak (1928-2012), Design for show scrim (The Magic Flute), 1979-1980, watercolor and graphite pencil on paper on board. © The Maurice Sendak Foundation. The Morgan Library & Museum, Bequest of Maurice Sendak, 2013.104:120. Image by Janny Chiu.
In addition to the exhibit itself, a slate of public programs celebrating the storied author are also in the works. At the family fair on June 23, craft stations and a poetry wall will entertain the little ones, and the following week, the grown-ups can catch a double-header screening of two short Sendak-centric films: a documentary-style look co-directed by Spike Jonze, and a recording of the Wild Things opera from the renowned Glyndebourne opera festival in Sussex Downs, circa 1985.
Maurice Sendak (1928-2012), Design for show curtain (The Love for Three Oranges), 1981, watercolor and graphite pencil on paper. © The Maurice Sendak Foundation. The Morgan Library & Museum, Bequest of Maurice Sendak, 2013.106:167. Image by Janny Chiu.
There are lectures and talks as well, all pointing to the fact that though stagecraft was a world away from creating crowd-pleasers for the small set, Sendak performed the unfamiliar role remarkably well. “This exhibition will be a wonderful surprise to those who are familiar with Sendak primarily through his beloved books,” Federman said.
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