Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are,1961, lithograph on paper, 14 x 27 inches © Maurice Sendak. All Rights Reserved
50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons Maurice Sendak: The Memorial Exhibition
September 23, 2017 – December 30, 2017
50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons, Maurice Sendak: The Memorial Exhibition opens September 23, 2017, in the Museum’s Holmes Gallery. Organized to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sendak’s classic Where the Wild Things Are, the exhibition features original illustrations for the book, which won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for pictorial excellence in 1964. The narrative follows a boisterous and adventurous young boy named Max who, having been sent to his room for misbehaving, ends up taking a rollicking trip to an island inhabited by Wild Things who crown him King before he returns home. In addition to the original illustrations, the exhibition will include designs for an animated short film, a feature film, and an opera based on the book. The exhibition also incorporates a selection of works from the many other picture books that Sendak illustrated throughout his 60-year career, such as the classics In the Night Kitchen and Little Bear. Several examples from Sendak’s successful second career as a stage and costume designer will be on display as well.
A Tangled Plot: Works by Annie Blazejack and Geddes Levenson
July 12–October 5, 2025
The Summer 2025 exhibition at the VBMA will showcase 42 paintings and mixed media works by the collaborative duo Annie Blazejack and Geddes Levenson. Blazejack earned her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston at Tufts University, while Levenson received her MFA from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Their work spans various media and reflects their shared focus on the environment and their upbringing in Miami, Florida.
Picasso and the Progressive Proof
September 13, 2025–January 4, 2026
Picasso and the Progressive Proof: Linocut Prints from a Private Collection explores Pablo Picasso’s late-career printmaking through three key works and their proofs, highlighting his innovative techniques and recurring themes of Spanish heritage, mythology, and European Old Masters.