Illustration of seaside houses.
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Leonard Weisgard, Illustration for Pelican Here, Pelican There, 1948. Gift of Abigail, Christina, and Ethan Weisgard. © Leonard Weisgard.

Magician of the Modern: The Art of Leonard Weisgard

March 8 - June 5, 2016
East Gallery

Leonard Weisgard was an award-wining illustrator of over 200 children’s books. He is perhaps best remembered for his productive collaboration with author Margaret Wise Brown, beginning with their popular Noisy Books series (1939), and including The Little Island, which won the 1947 Caldecott Medal. Influenced by both mid-century modernism and American folk art, Weisgard incorporated different media—gouache, poster paint, crayon, chalk, decoupage, stenciling, and pen and ink—to create a new kind of children’s book. 

He worked with other authors and wrote a handful of books himself. Original art from Cinderella (1939), Red Light/Green Light (1944), The Little Island (1946), The Golden Egg Book (1947), Pelican Here/Pelican There (1948), The Important Book (1949), and The Funny Bunny Factory (1950), among others, are on display. The Carle restored twenty seminal paintings by Weisgard to their original splendor; they make their public debut in the exhibition. 

Curated by Leonard Marcus.

Featured Artists

Photograph of the artist.

Leonard Weisgard

Leonard Weisgard illustrated over 200 children’s books, many in collaboration with author Margaret Wise Brown. Weisgard created a new kind of children’s book by incorporating mid-century modernism with an appreciation for American folk art.