Sundays at the Nuthouse

This exhibition celebrates a brief period in the development of three artists who came together with the renowned author and children’s book illustrator, Maurice Sendak, on Sundays in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Between 2003-4, Sendak convened a small group of artists and students in live drawing sessions at his home in order to provide Sendak with an occasional break from working long hours in his studio on such projects as the illustrations and sets for the children’s opera, Brundibar.

The title of the exhibition is a reference to Sendak’s home, affectionately known as “the Nut House,” not because of the mental capacity of its inhabitants, but because squirrels constantly dropped acorns on its roof. The paintings, drawings and posters in this exhibition provide a sense of not only of what work was made during these drawing sessions but also include examples of the work created by the four artists in the years before, during and after the Nut House days.

The core group and participants in the exhibition include Maurice Sendak, artist and art historian, Jonathan Weinberg, and artists Marc McChesney and Jamison Odone.

Reception and event dates to be announced soon.

Image: Jonathan Weinberg, Maurice Sendak Drawing, 2007. Courtesy of the Artist and the Maurice Sendak Foundation