"Something Else Entirely: The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey" Opening Reception

Last night the Society of Illustrators hosted the official opening reception for the exhibition "Something Else Entirely: The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey." The crowd was enthusiastic; the artwork was inspired.

The display case houses published Gorey rarities, including copies of old copies of TV Guides graced by Gorey illustrations.

The real treasure, of course, is the original Gorey art:

Wouldn't you just know it? The cover art for A Clutch of Vampires is in the archives here.

Note:  There's still time to celebrate Edward Gorey's centenary. "Something Else Entirely: The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey" continues its run at the Society of Illustrators in New York through January 4.

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Fine Lines of Influence: The Very Fine Clock by Muriel Spark and Edward Gorey

The centenary of Edward Gorey is being celebrated with a wonderful exhibition at the Society of Illustrators. "Something Else Entirely: The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey" opened on October 4 and will run through January 3.

The show's first featured event was held last night. I was in attendance for "Fine Lines of Influence: The Very Fine Clock." It was a conversation between illustrator Lisa Brown and her husband, writer Daniel Handler about how Gorey influenced them and their work.

The Very Fine Clock is a 1968 children's book by Muriel Spark illustrated by Gorey. Transit Books has just reissued it in a sumptuous new edition.

Lisa Brown and Daniel Handler

The official opening reception will be held tonight. The following photographs should serve as a preview of some of what awaits at the Society of Illustrators.

Gorey's illustrations are very finely detailed, best observed in person and up close.

The New Yorker
A cover submission rejected by the magazine in 1992 but published posthumously in 2018

The New Yorker
A rejected cover from 1992 that was later published inside the magazine, posthumously, in 2000

The Doom of the Haunted Opera by John Bellairs

The Very Fine Clock by Muriel Spark
Four original illustrations

Bantam Books's 1995 Summer Reading Campaign

Cover art for Dead Ends:  An Irreverent Field Guide to the Graves of the Famous by David Cross and Robert Bent, 1991

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