Special Collections: Bulk of Maurice Sendak Collection Leaving Philadelphia’s Rosenbach

From The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Nearly half a century ago, the Rosenbach Museum and Library began building a relationship with the young author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, who very quickly started using the townhouse museum on Delancey Place as a repository for his original drawings, manuscripts, proofs, and rare editions.
[Clip]
But now that card is being recalled. Sendak never gifted the original artwork for Where the Wild Things Are and thousands of other items to the Rosenbach, and the trustees managing his legacy – he died at 83 in 2012 – have asked that the Sendak Collection be returned to them, ending a bond between artist and institution that many assumed would continue in perpetuity.
[Clip]
The Rosenbach houses 10,200 original and printed pieces owned by the Sendak estate. The museum owns about 600 other original and printed pieces, which will remain in Philadelphia, says Patrick Rodgers, curator of its Maurice Sendak Collection.
[Clip]
Sendak’s drawing power was cited as a major asset in the 2013 merger of the Rosenbach and the Free Library of Philadelphia, and leaders planned to mount major shows at both the library and what is now called the Rosenbach of the Free Library.

Read the Complete Article [1660 Words]

Read the Official Announcement from the Rosenbach
Current Exhibition will Remain on View until November 2

See Also: Free Library of Philadelphia Receives $25 Million Grant For Central and Branch Library Renovations (September 11, 2014)

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Funding, Libraries, News, Open Access