Attempted Bloggery: Bernard

Showing posts with label Bernard. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Maurice Sendak Poster Art for Jewish Book Month 1985

In 1985, the acclaimed book illustrator Maurice Sendak designed a poster for Jewish Book Month, a celebration organized by the Jewish Book Council. The trio of delighted readers are a boy, a girl, and a Wild Thing named Bernard. The lettering on the book was apparently not executed by Mr. Sendak. The book bears lettering in Hebrew and English and reads Sefer Sholem Aleichem, or Book of Sholem Aleichem (1859-1916).

Maurice Sendak, "To three possessions thou shouldst look,

Acquire a field, a friend, a book." --Mai Gaon

Original Artwork for Jewish Book Month Poster, 1985
Jewish Book Council

Illustration House, November 20, 2004 Auction, Lot 99
Estimate: $250,000-300,000

Maurice Sendak, "To three possessions thou shouldst look,

Acquire a field, a friend, a book." --Mai Gaon

Jewish Book Month Poster, November 7th to December 7th, 1985
Inscribed by Sendak to Stuart Wright
Poster offered at $750 from the Rio Verde Co.

No longer available as of March 17, 2014

http://www.rioverdeco.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=532

September 5, 2013 Update: Here is a better image of the published poster from Brain Pickings by Maria Popova.

Maurice Sendak, "To three possessions thou shouldst look,

Acquire a field, a friend, a book." --Mai Gaon

Poster for Jewish Book Month, November 7th to December 7th, 1985
Jewish Book Council

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/09/03/maurice-sendak-posters-reading-books/

Note: I don't know at what price this original art sold, so if anyone out there has the prices realized from this sale, feel free to chime in.

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Saturday, November 26, 2011

Maurice Sendak: Mother Goose, Max, and Moose

Bonhams has a very nice selection of Maurice Sendak works coming up in its December 15 Fine Books and Manuscripts auction in New York. There is a printed serigraph, an early autograph letter with an original illustration, and, of course, pencil drawings including Max, a few Wild Things, assorted rabbits, and--the wait is over!-- moose.

Bonhams Sale 19427 - Fine Books and Manuscripts, 15 Dec 2011
New York

Lot No: 5140

SENDAK, MAURICE, CHRIS VAN ALLSBERG, BARRY MOSER, et al.

Mother Goose Collection. New York: Serigrafia, 1990.

Suite of 6 color serigraphs on Rives BFK, approximately 560 x 725 mm each, individually signed and numbered by the artists. Original cloth-backed clam-shell portfolio with printed contents and colophon on the inside lid.

Provenance: Maurice Sendak.

LIMITED EDITION, no 107 of 300 copies issued to benefit the Children's Health Fund. Comprising: "Mother Goose" (M. Sendak); "Around the Green Gravel" (C. Van Allsberg); "The Queen of Hearts" (B. Moser); "The Kilkenny Cats" (Seymour Chwast); "Cat and the Fiddle" (Daniel Pelavin); and "Children on the Ice" (Guy Billout).

Estimate: US$2,000 - 3,000
December 15, 2011: Unsold

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r?screen=LotDetailsNoFlash&iSaleNo=19427&iSaleItemNo=5181028

Lot No: 5141

SENDAK, MAURICE. BORN 1928.

Pen and watercolor illustration on an Autograph Letter Signed ("M. Sendak"), November 18, 1962, to Lyn, being a self-portrait of Sendak with his dog, fold creases, light edgewear.

Sendak writes this charming letter to a friend and draws "a picture of (himself) after reading (Lyn's) letter," in the likeness of his character Pierre, accompanied by his dog Jennie. Sendak mentions the drawing in his postscript: "Tho I look 6 1/2 I am really 34!"

Estimate: US$700 - 900

December 15, 2011: Sold for US$4,000 inclusive of Buyer's Premium

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r?screen=LotDetailsNoFlash&iSaleNo=19427&iSaleItemNo=5151143

Lot No: 5142

SENDAK, MAURICE. BORN 1928.

"Six and Seven," pencil drawing, 217 x 280 mm, signed lower right, preliminary sketches for the Seven Little Monsters television series, matted and framed.

In the 2000-2003 animated television series Seven Little Monsters, Six is the resident ballerina who wears a tutu and carries a wand while Seven is the youngest and the tallest of the group. The final version of Six was much younger and more feminine than this version.

Estimate: US$2,500 - 3,500
December 15, 2011: Unsold

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r?screen=LotDetailsNoFlash&iSaleNo=19427&iSaleItemNo=5186482

November 24, 2011 Update: "Six and Seven" is being offered again at Bonhams New York in its December 4 Fine Books, Maps & Manuscripts sale. The estimate has been reduced to $1,500 - 2,000.

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20078/lot/2167/?search_query=1&division=None&passages=True&earliest_first=False&country=None&past_sales=future&back_to_year=2003&sale_no=None&top_level_department=None&department=None&query=Sendak&create_facets=True&value_data_curren

Lot No: 5143

SENDAK, MAURICE. BORN 1928.

"Moose," pencil drawing, 217 x 280 mm, signed at lower right and additionally inscribed at upper right: "Moose--May 1, 2000 / M.S. / 1 + 2"," matted and framed.

Estimate: US$2,000 - 3,000
December 15, 2011: Unsold

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r?screen=LotDetailsNoFlash&iSaleNo=19427&iSaleItemNo=5186481

Lot No: 5144

SENDAK, MAURICE. BORN 1928.

"Tzippy," pencil sketch on vellum tracing paper, 190 x 150 mm, signed lower right.

A Wild Thing engaged in rumpus. Sendak named the Wild Things after his uncles and aunts: Tzippy, Moishe, Aaron, Emile and Bernard.

Estimate: US$2,000 - 3,000
December 15, 2011: Unsold

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r?screen=LotDetailsNoFlash&iSaleNo=19427&iSaleItemNo=5186477

Lot No: 5145

SENDAK, MAURICE. BORN 1928.

Pencil sketch of two rabbits on vellum tracing paper, 100 x 280 mm, signed lower left, upper and left margins trimmed unevenly, sketch on verso of sheet, signature on recto.

Possibly relates to the little-known Sendak title, Ten Little Rabbits.

Estimate: US$1,500 - 2,000
December 15, 2011: Unsold

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r?screen=LotDetailsNoFlash&iSaleNo=19427&iSaleItemNo=5186471

Lot No: 5146

SENDAK, MAURICE. BORN 1928.

Max and three Wild Things, pencil sketch on vellum tracing paper, 245 x 180 mm, signed lower right, right margin trimmed unevenly.

The sketches are executed on the verso and the signature is on the recto of this leaf. A desirable sketch of Sendak's most famous creations in motion, being Max, Moishe, Tzippy and Bernard.

Estimate: US$3,000 - 5,000
December 15, 2011: Unsold

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r?screen=LotDetailsNoFlash&iSaleNo=19427&iSaleItemNo=5186479

Lot No: 5147

SENDAK, MAURICE. BORN 1928.

Max in his wolf suit, pencil sketch on vellum tracing paper, 215 x 165 mm, signed lower right, left margin trimmed unevenly.

Charming sketch of Max making mischief "of one kind or another."

Estimate: US$2,000 - 3,000
December 15, 2011: Unsold

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r?screen=LotDetailsNoFlash&iSaleNo=19427&iSaleItemNo=5186478

Maurice Sendak, Letter (Detail)

Maurice Sendak, "Six and Seven"

Maurice Sendak, Max in his Wolf Suit

Note: My most recent post on the Wild Thing parade balloon art of Maurice Sendak is here.

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Friday, November 11, 2011

Maurice Sendak's "Reading is Fun" Poster

Maurice Sendak seems to have no trouble producing enchanting posters. The theme of the poster art shown here is "Reading is Fun," and, yes, even the man in the moon is getting into it. Sendak's characters from Where the Wild Things Are seem generally delighted to help support the cause, although it would appear that only the boy Max really grasps the finer points of reading. Books shown include Caldecott's picture books, Grimm's fairy tales, a volume of nursery rhymes, and, of course, Sendak's own classic Where the Wild Things Are.

In Caldecott & Co. (1989), Sendak discusses his appreciation of Randolph Caldecott's illustrations and he even mentions how sublime it would be to possess a particular original of Baby Bunting. I find this fascinating, as I believe a great many people today would feel precisely this elation about owning a splendid piece of original Sendak art!