Rare Charlotte’s Web Illustrations at the Eric Carle Museum
Amherst, MA, November 19, 2012—The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is pleased to offer the rare opportunity for guests to see selections from the 20th-century classic, Charlotte’s Web, written by E.B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams. Some Book! Some Art!: Selected Drawings by Garth Williams for Charlotte’s Web, on exhibit from December 11, 2012 until April 22, 2013, will celebrate Williams’s 100th birthday and the 60th anniversary of the book. The exhibition will include The Carle’s very first art acquisition—the drawing of Lurvy tossing a bucket of water on Wilbur [p. 128]. Support for this exhibition is provided by HarperCollins Children’s Books.
Charlotte's Web is one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century children’s literature. On October 19, 1952, Eudora Welty wrote in The New York Times, "As a piece of work it is just about perfect, and just about magical in the way it is done." It was recognized with the Newbery Honor Medal the following year. White’s elegant prose and Williams’s exquisite drawings form a spirited dialogue that constitutes a conversation of substance and style. To this day the tale of the uncanny friendship between a doomed pig and a caring spider is a book beloved by young and old.
The Carle had long hoped to borrow Williams’s drawings from the book for an exhibition. In 2010, however, the work was put up for auction, dispersing the illustrations around the country. The sale caused quite a stir in the world of children’s book art, bringing very strong prices.
“This was an historic moment for The Carle,” says Chief Curator Nick Clark. “Thanks to generous friends of the Museum, we were able to make our first acquisition for the collection. Soon after, we found the opportunity to buy the preliminary drawing as well.”
Determined to make an exhibition of the work a reality, Clark reached out to various collectors who had also purchased the drawings and began to assemble a strong representation from the book. The exhibition, which will be on view in the Central Gallery during The Carle’s 10th anniversary, will comprise approximately 20 finished drawings, as well as a selection of preliminary sketches to help articulate the artist’s working process. There will also be a subset of works that explore the representation of Charlotte from the book, to the initial animated film, to the recent live-action film. “We feel really fortunate to be able to reunite these celebrated drawings—and give our guests a chance to experience this classic book anew,” says Clark.
