Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection
In The East Gallery
Flights Into Fantasy: The Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection of Children’s Illustration
July 1 - October 26, 2008
View examples of fantasy in children’s illustrations by some of the most famous illustrators of the 19th and 20th centuries from the remarkable collection of Kendra and Allan Daniel. The Daniels’ collection focuses on works from the Golden Age of Illustration, a period between 1880 and 1940 that produced unprecedented excellence in book and magazine illustration. Drawings and paintings from books such as Winnie the Pooh (Ernest H. Shepard), Babar (Jean de Brunhoff), Madeline (Ludwig Bemelmans), Raggedy Ann (Johnny Gruelle), Alice in Wonderland (Jessie Wilcox Smith), Snow White (Wanda Gàg), Little Miss Muffett (Arthur Rackham) and Peter Rabbit (Harrison Cady), are among the superb works selected. Co-organized with the Brandywine River Museum.
First published in 1940
In The Central Gallery
Dorothy Kunhardt's Pat the Bunny
May 16 - December 7, 2008
Dorothy Kunhardt was already a successful children's author when she wrote the ground-breaking Pat the Bunny for her 3-year-old daughter, Edith. Pat the Bunny is a "touch and feel" book for small children and babies that has been a perennial best seller since its publication in 1940. It is hardly a book in the literary sense, but more a collection of things to do, such as pat the fake fur of a rabbit on one page, feel a bit of sandpaper that stands for "daddy's beard" on another, and look in a mirror on yet another. Kunhardt thought that there was more to books than just words on paper and added elements that could increase a child’s love for reading and learning. The exhibition, taken from the archive of the Meserve Kunhardt Foundation, will explore the evolution of this innovative book as well as other facets of Kunhardt’s rich and varied career.
Support for the exhibition Dorothy Kunhardt’s Pat the Bunny has been provided in part by Random House Children’s Books.
In The West Gallery
Selections from the Art of Eric Carle: Bears and Beyond
February 8 - August 31, 2008
As one of the most acclaimed authors and illustrators of our time, Eric Carle’s work has world-wide appeal. Selections from The Art of Eric Carle: Bears and Beyond explores the evolution of Carle’s collage technique, highlighting his collaboration with Bill Martin Jr. On view for the first time will be the art created for Martin’s last manuscript, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? This exhibition will also feature other insights into Carle’s creative process, including examples of his non-book art, as well as recent acquisitions from the Museum’s permanent collection.
Support for Selections from the Art of Eric Carle: Bears and Beyond has been provided in part by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.
Shop for books, posters, and stationery by artists who have appeared in our galleries.