From the Library of Frank Cho

For National Library Week, here is Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows Sunday strip which was reprinted on March 11, 2012.

Frank Cho, Liberty Meadows, reprinted March 11, 2012

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From the Library of Cindy Sherman

It's National Library Week! Here then is Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Still #13 from 1978:

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #13, 1978; photograph; gelatin silver print, 10 in. x 8 in. (25.4 cm x 20.32 cm); Collection SFMOMA, Fractional and promised gift of Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein; © Cindy Sherman

Source: http://www.sfmoma.org/explore/collection/artwork/113885##ixzz1olQsjCyj
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

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From the Library of Ronald Searle

For National Library Week, I continue to survey the work of artists who are as enamored of libraries as I am. Here are some library notes from Ronald Searle's The Square Egg (1968).  And please, if you're reading this in a library, try not to laugh out loud.

Note:  Punch cartoonist John Taylor kept a book with drawings by contributors to the magazine. You can see the contributions by Ronald Searle and E. H. Shepard here.

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From the Library of Jean-Jacques Sempé

I just love cartoons about books, reading, and libraries.  Especially libraries, both the public and private-home variety!


Today in fact begins National Library Week. In honor of this special occasion, I have selected a drawing by the prodigiously-talented Jean-Jacques Sempé, whom I gather also loves libraries, books, and reading, as well as cats and crowds and Paris. With the help of superb artists like Sempé, I'll bet I can keep this up all week!

http://www.scoutnetworkblog.com/2012/02/12821/paris-elsewhere/

April 10, 2012 Update:  Claude Haber sends along this photo of the original Sempé drawing. He took it in January of 2012 at the exhibition Sempé, un peu de Paris et d’ailleurs, at L’Hôtel de Ville. This was the very first Sempé retrospective held in Paris and--sorry!-- it just ended on March 31.  As you can see, the image I have above shows only the central area of a much larger work. This photo gives a good idea of the scale of the original drawing. Just look at how the viewer is pulled into it!

Exhibition Photo by Claude Haber

Below, here is the image I should have gone with from the beginning if I had done my homework or, given what week this is, consulted a proper librarian:

Jean-Jacques Sempé, Le chat dans la grande bibliothèque

http://www.soohcliche.com/2010/07/une-idee-de-bonheur-par-jour.html

Claude Haber, bless him, also provides the screen shot below of the auction result for this piece. He seems to understand this blog post's needs better than I do! Anyway, it's a bit humbling when you find a lovely drawing, decide to post it on your blog, and then find out it already sold for more than ten times its estimate. In other words, someone else thinks it's pretty awesome too!

Drouot Richelieu, Salle 7, Design: Des années 1960 aux années 2000, Paris, Wednesday, April 01, 2009

http://www.artvalue.com/auctionresult--sempe-jean-jacques-1932-france-le-chat-dans-la-grande-bibliot-2315307.htm

Note:  Yes, I've written about Jean-Jacques Sempé before. How could I not? You can check out my blog post here but don't expect to see any more library books or cute cats.

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Walt Disney's "Funny Little Bunnies" (1934)

Walt Disney's Silly Symphony "Funny Little Bunnies" from 1934 has none of the famous Disney characters, but there are lots of cheerful, industrious bunnies and a few extremely productive hens as well. They are all hard at work making Easter eggs.

Image added April 13, 2014

"Funny Little Bunnies" (1934)
Walt Disney Studios

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Peter Arno's Bunnies

Here are a pair of New Yorker covers featuring Easter bunnies by artist Peter Arno.

Peter Arno, The New Yorker, April 1, 1961

Peter Arno, The New Yorker, April 17, 1965

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"Hey, You with the Pretty Face..."

Even if it weren't a beautiful spring day, this song would make me happy. Jeff Lynne's "Mr. Blue Sky" is the world's best cure yet for Seasonal Affective Disorder.

"Mr. Blue Sky"

Jeff Lynne and Rosie Vela

Electric Light Orchestra

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A German Silver Seder Plate, Early 20th Century

No provenance is given for this German Seder plate from the early twentieth century, and most likely it is unknown how this item spent the first century of its existence.

A German Silver Seder Plate, Early 20th Century

http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2011/important-judaica-n08814#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.N08814.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.N08814.html/27/

A German Silver Seder Plate, Early 20th Century

http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2011/important-judaica-n08814#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.N08814.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.N08814.html/27/

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The Amsterdam Haggadah of 1695

This Haggadah was printed by the Amsterdam Jewish community. Haggadot are used for celebrating the Passover Seder and this illustrated edition has been highly influential over the centuries.  It dates from 1695, or about 240 years after the first Gutenberg Bible.

                 

   

http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2011/important-judaica-n08814#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.N08814.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.N08814.html/86/

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The First Passover Feast by Huybrecht Beuckelaer, 1563

This painting by Huybrecht Beuckelaer from 1563 is an early depiction of a biblical scene from Exodus 12. It is not meant to show a contemporary 16th century Passover Seder.

  

http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2012/important-old-master-paintings-n08825#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.N08825.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.N08825.html/105/

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