"The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats" Exhibition
The Jewish Museum
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"The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats" is the first major exhibition in this country to pay tribute to award-winning author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats (1916–1983), whose beloved children’s books include Whistle for Willie, Peter’s Chair, and The Snowy Day—the first modern full-color picture book to feature an African-American protagonist. Published in 1962, at the height of the civil rights movement in America, the book went on to become an inspiration for generations of readers, transforming children’s literature forever.
Born Jacob Ezra Katz in Brooklyn to Eastern European Jewish immigrant parents, Keats’s impoverished childhood inspired some of his most innovative writing and illustrations. His stories are often situated in dilapidated urban settings made beautiful through the artist’s mastery of collage as well as his dramatic use of color.
The exhibition features over 80 original works by the artist, from preliminary sketches and dummies or preparatory books, to final paintings and collages, including examples of Keats’s most introspective but less-known output inspired by Asian art and poetry. One of the spaces in the galleries will be transformed into a reading room for visitors of all ages inspired by Keats's art and stories.
[Image" “Crunch, crunch, crunch, his feet sank into the snow” Final illustration for The Snowy Day (1962) Collage and paint on board 9 x 20 in. Ezra Jack Keats Papers, de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, McCain Library and Archives, The University of Southern Mississippi © Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Image courtesy of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.]
Media
Schedule
from September 09, 2011 to January 29, 2012