Drawing the Curtain: Maurice Sendak's Designs for Opera and Ballet

Maurice Sendak is well-known for his acclaimed children’s books, but he was also an avid opera lover and designed a number of sets for opera and ballet productions, among them Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Janácˇek's The Cunning Little Vixen, Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges, Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, and an opera by Oliver Knussen based on Where the Wild Things Are. This book brings together over one hundred and twenty- five pieces from among the more than nine hundred in the Morgan Library & Museum’s collection, including preliminary sketches, final watercolors, and cardboard models. Essays in the book discuss the importance of music to Sendak’s work, his fascination with comic strips, movies, mechanical toys, and pop-up books, and the artworks that inspired his stage designs. The book reveals the full breadth of Sendak’s visual work for opera and ballet and highlights his keen sense of humor, his love of art history, and his ability to tell striking stories through his art.