In honor of a man who touched the lives of millions of children, the Walt Disney Family Museum is holding an exhibit from May 23-June 7 featuring original images by Maurice Sendak. The exhibit, titled “Maurice Sendak: 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons” will fall on the 50th anniversary of the perennial favorite, Where the Wild Things Are. The exhibit also happens to open during the one-year anniversary of Sendak’s passing due to complications following a stroke (May 2012). He was 83.
As many Disney (and Sendak) fans know, Sendak decided on a career as an illustrator and author at the tender age of 12 after a viewing of Disney’s Fantasia (1940). It was at this point that he began collecting Disney – and especially Mickey – paraphernalia throughout his life.
Keeping with the theme of the exhibit, an eclectic collection of 50 original illustrations, sketches, and other media will be on display. Many of the works, all of which have Where the Wild Things Are as their subjects, will be on loan from private collectors and friends. 50 statements from commentators will explore, discuss, and fondly remember Sendak’s life and writings. Contributors include Tom Hanks, President Obama, Lemony Snicket, and Spike Jones, who directed the 2009 live-action filmic adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are. Bonnie Erickson, who is Executive Director of The Jim Henson Legacy, recalls “Early collaborations on and a shared appreciation for the inventive possibilities of monsters launched a life-long relationship between Jim Henson and Maurice Sendak infused with imaginative thinking, daring creativity, and their mutual admiration for the expansive world view of children.”
This exhibit promises to celebrate the life of a man who, inspired by Disney and by the magic of childhood, contributed – and still contributes to – the imagination of children everywhere.
General tickets for the Sendak exhibit will be $10. A special combination ticket, which also includes general museum admission, will be $25. Special prices for seniors and children 6-17 will also be available. Admission is free for members.
For more about this special exhibit, please visit the Walt Disney Family Museum’s webpage.
