Holiday Shopping at Art Kandy

Posted on October 03, 2013 by lee cohen | 32 Comments

THE HOLIDAYS are just a couple of months away...and it’s our extremely biased opinion that you couldn’t find a better place to shop for everyone on your list than right here at Art Kandy.

FOR CHILDREN AND INFANTS...and their families, of course, you can choose from exclusive, limited edition prints from classic characters and books -- like Goodnight Moon, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, No, David!, Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web and Curious George.

FOR THE FILM FAN...there’s rare images from the 1933 King Kong and signed prints from special effects master Ray Harryhausen.

FOR LOVERS OF LITERATURE... you’ll find the magical Tolkien art of the Bros. Hildebrandt, deluxe sets of Beatrix Potter art and Ray Bradbury’s personal art.

FOR THE SERIOUS COLLECTORS... there’s originals from Dr. Seuss, Garth Williams and the Disney Archives.

HARD TO CHOOSE from so much scrumptious artwork? Art Kandy is here to help! Call or write us and we can walk you through the menus in the Art Kandy gallery. We’ll let you know what’s new, which of the limited editions are almost gone, and perhaps even reveal a few surprises that are not posted.

LAYAWAYS...For your convenience, Art Kandy is happy to do layaways. You can write or call us and we’ll be happy to work out a plan that ensures the artwork you select is ready to ship for the holidays.

Thanks for joining us here at Art Kandy. We hope we can serve you up some delights for your holiday season.

Posted in 7th Voyage of Sinbad, art from children's booksclassic illustration, Bradbury art, cartoon art, children's book art, classic illustration, collectibles, Dark Carnival, David Shannon, Dr. Seuss, Harryhausen art, illustration gallery, King Kong art, Martian Chronicles, Maurice Sendak, Ray Bradbury, Ray Bradbury art, Ray Harryhausen, Sendak art, Where The Wild Things Are

Maurice Sendak Has a Fit

Posted on February 03, 2013 by lee cohen | 0 Comments

For most fans of children’s books, Maurice Sendak is the first name that comes to mind. Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, Really Rosie -- all classics and just a sampling of his enormous contributions to art and literature.

Most would picture him leaning over a drawing table, writing his prose or lecturing. For me, I picture Sendak being measured for a rented tuxedo in a shop on 3rd street in Los Angeles.  Let me explain.

A number of years ago, Maurice Sendak was commissioned to design a production of Mozart’s Idomeneo for the Los Angeles Opera -- a bold and unusual choice at the time. The production sketches, paintings and many of the unused props became the centerpiece of an exhibit we curated for our Los Angeles gallery.

When Sendak arrived in town, he was perturbed to find that the reception for the Opera opening was to be a formal event and he had come ill-equipped. Calls were made and a local tuxedo rental shop could make it happen while we waited. It fell to me to take the non-driving children’s literature icon to be fitted.

 Braving mid-city afternoon traffic and a cranky at best Sendak, we arrived at the shop. Unrecognized, he stood in the center of the shop, on public display, tailors surrounding him. He glanced over at me, fully aware of the ridiculousness of the situation. Gradually, Sendak’s identity was discovered by the clientele of the shop. One by one, they stopped to speak to him. He was a captive audience; there was no escape.

At first, Sendak managed a weak smile, but by the time the third or fourth fan was gushing, he had clearly had it. “Children must love you where ever you go,” one persistent woman told him. He stared her down and launched into a tale of visiting  an associate’s home and meeting her young daughter -- who was sprawled across a floor, reading what just happened to be Where the Wild Things Are

“Are you enjoying that book?” Sendak asked.

“Um hmm,” said  the girl, doing her best to ignore the stranger.

 “You know,” Sendak told her, “I wrote that.” 

 The little girl stopped and for the first time, looked up at him. “Go f- yourself,” the little girl responded.

“Children are not impressed,” Sendak told the stunned woman in the rental shop. “Not by you, not by me.” The woman took a step back from the author and made a hasty retreat.  Of course, Sendak’s apocryphal story summed up his characterization of children as possessing their own dark, cynical world. He would boldly continue to support that vision for the rest of his life.

The year after the Opera exhibit, we worked again with Sendak in creating “Freedom to Read,” a limited edition lithograph supporting an anti-censorship in books campaign. We held another series of events and exhibits and shared some memorable moments.

Thankfully, none of those events required formal wear. 

 Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Posted in art from children's booksclassic illustration, children's book art, collectibles, Idomeneo, illustration gallery, In the Night Kitchen, Maurice Sendak, Mozart, Really Rosie, Sendak art, Where The Wild Things Are

 

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