Jan 23, 2014 - Sale 2337

Sale 2337 - Lot 215

Unsold
Estimate: $ 12,000 - $ 15,000
MAURICE SENDAK.
"Happy Birthday!" Watercolor and ink. 203x156mm; 8x6 1/8inches, sheet. Inscribed and Signed "To Peter from Maurice Sendak & Eugene Glynn with much affection! July 6, `73." Laid down to foamcore, and matted, some sunning to image.
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Additional Details

inscribed and signed to sendak's dear friend and caretaker, peter caponera. When Sendak and his partner, Eugene, moved to their country home in Ridgefield, CT in 1972, Caponera became their gardener and groundskeeper at the request of the previous tenants. They befriended him and his sister, Lynn, then still a child, who would become the artist's trusted aide. The four remained very close over the years and the Caponeras were at Sendak's bedside when he died on May 8, 2012.
Sendak's inscription and image are more highly personalized and have a deeper meaning than an ordinary image of Peter Rabbit might imply. He was a devoted fan of Beatrix Potter whose influence on his work cannot be underestimated.