I was at the Los Angeles Central Library in downtown Los Angeles this week, and went upstairs to the Getty Gallery display area. The current exhibit is called "Children Should Be Seen- An Image of the Child in American Picture-Book Art."It is a collection of the original artwork used for influential and award-winning picture books during the last fifty years. If you are a fan of such books as Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat and Mo Willem's Knuffle Bunny, the exhibit is a rare chance to see the actual sketches side-by-side with the artwork used in the books.
Being a fan of children's picture books, I enjoyed looking at the various styles of artwork, from realistic portrayals of children in historic periods to whimsical and untraditional artwork to art using techniques like collage and scratchboard and found objects.
The exhibit was organized by two art museums on the East Coast, and according to the press release, is the first United States exhibit devoted to the image of the child in contemporary picture-book art. It opened on July 1st, and will only run about two more weeks until September 14th.
