by Nina Snyder

Those lucky enough to have seen the traveling exhibition Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles this past summer know it’s a show worth seeking out. There’s still a chance to take it in, with a plane hop to Denver. Or hop online to view the virtual events and extras—one happening live this week, most available through the show’s run—created for this new iteration. Rocky Mountain SCBWI member Nina Snyder provides details.

“Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak,” on display at the Denver Art Museum through Feb. 17, takes the viewer on a journey through Sendak’s illustration process, from painstaking layouts of his first picture books to the elaborate costumes he designed later in his career for opera performances.

Born in Brooklyn in 1928, Sendak was a self-taught artist who relished the hustle and bustle of New York City. “Sendak’s identity and experiences as a first-generation American, combined with the legacy and heritage of his Polish Jewish family, especially through WWII and the Holocaust, make his personal perspective and artistic insight immensely valuable, powerful and timeless,” said Christoph Heinrich from the Denver Art Museum in a statement.

Sendak started out as an illustrator for other authors before publishing his first picture book as an author-illustrator, Kenny’s Window, in 1956. In the same decade, Sendak conceived of the story for Where the Wild Things Are with wild horses in the first draft. Eventually he swapped out the horses for the lumbering monsters to create the classic tale still beloved by children today. First published in 1963, Where the Wild Things Are has sold more than 19 million copies across the world, according to publisher HarperCollins.

One of the most fascinating parts of the exhibit included the display of inspiration for Sendak’s work, with reproductions of paintings by Henri Rosseau shown next to Sendak’s illustrations for Where the Wild Things Are. Sendak also drew on sources ranging from Walt Disney to William Blake to find inspiration for his art.

“Wild Things not only offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy his original drawings for these books, but also to explore Sendak’s artistry and the depth and complexity of his exhaustively creative mind,” Heinrich said.

If you can, make the trip to the Mile High City to check out the “Wild Things” exhibit. Tickets start at $35 for out-of-state residents. Visit the Denver Art Museum for more information.

For those unable to attend in person, the museum has created an array of online resources. These include an extensive exhibition guide; a reading list; and a five-episode podcast featuring perspectives from Tony Kushner, Dave Eggers, and Lynn Caponera and Jonathan Weinberg of the Maurice Sendak Foundation. On January 28, from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. (MST), a segment of the museum’s online Mindful Looking program “invites you to slow down and spend time with . . . one of Maurice Sendak’s illustrations for Wilhelm Grimm’s Dear Mili.“

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Nina Snyder belongs to the Rocky Mountain SCBWI region. She is the author of the self-published children’s book ABCs of Balls. Her Hot Pink Orchid Journal is published by PenDragon Press. Both are available on Amazon.

Image credits:

1. “WTMax” Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are, 1963, watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper, 9 3/4 x 11 in. © The Maurice Sendak Foundation
2. “WTBanner” Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are, 1963, watercolor and ink on paper, 93/4 x 22 in. ©TheMaurice Sendak Foundation
3. “WTPierre” Maurice Sendak, Pierre, 1961-2, ink on paper, 4 ¼ x 31/2 in. ©The Maurice Sendak Foundation

Author photo provided by Nina Snyder. Exhibition images provided by the Denver Art Museum. All images used with permission.