I love the easy way Maira Kalman moves from goofy to profound. Her paintings are both childlike and realistic. And she never hedges her bets with color. Some of the landscapes in her picture book biography of Thomas Jefferson remind me of a Candy Land board game—in a good way. Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything channels the curiosity and intelligence of Jefferson himself.
Her newest books, Ah-ha to Zig Zag and My Favorite Things are timed to coincide with the December 12th opening of the renovated Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the exhibit Maira Kalman Selects.
"Kalman was free to choose any random pieces from the museum’s rich and varied collection, and then paint, draw, and riff on each one from a personal perspective," writes Steven Heller about the upcoming exhibit. See Mr. Heller's article here: www.theatlantic.com/entertainment.
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published January 7th 2014, Nancy Paulsen Books