Illustrator Art Sale at Sotheby's to Benefit The Eric Carle Museum

March 29, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Illustrator Art Sale at Sotheby’s To Benefit The Carle

            On April 11 at 2:00 pm, Sotheby’s New York will hold a single owner sale of Original Illustration Art from the Collections of Kendra and Allan Daniel. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and the Animal Legal Defense Fund. The auction, the first of this type for Sotheby’s New York, will present children’s illustrations and other original art from this renowned collection, some of which was exhibited at The Carle in 2008.

 The Daniels, as both collectors and dealers, stand in the forefront of the recognition of children’s illustration as fine art. The auction will include characters such as Babar, Madeline, Christopher Robin and Raggedy Ann, and artists such as Arthur Rackham, Dr. Seuss, and Beatrix Potter.

According to Sotheby’s, The Daniels approach the selection of children's illustration with the same connoisseurship as they have with their superb private collection of American folk art. “We did not put together a historical survey,” Allan insists. “We bought what we loved.”

Over the years, the Daniels have given The Carle some very important work for its permanent collection. “They have gifted the museum with wonderful illustrators that we are fortunate to share with visitors from all over the world,” says Alexandra Kennedy, the museum’s executive director. “Now, through this important auction, we will benefit once again from their remarkable generosity and ongoing dedication to children’s illustrated book art.”

The pre-sale exhibition opens on April 5th. To preview the auction items, please click here: http://www.sothebys.com/app/paddleReg/paddlereg.do?dispatch=eventDetails&event_id=30664To purchase a catalog visit: http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/pub/PubCatDetail.jsp?event_id=30664

For more information, please contact: Justin Caldwell at justin.caldwell@sothebys.com, Dr. Philip Errington at philip.errington@sothebys.com, or Jamie Hurst at jamie.stewart @sothebys.com

About the Museum:

Together with his wife Barbara, Eric Carle, the renowned author and illustrator of more than 70 books, including the 1969 classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar, founded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art as the first full-scale museum in this country devoted to national and international picture book art, conceived and built with the aim of celebrating the art that we are first exposed to as children. Through the exploration of images that are familiar and beloved, it is The Museum’s goal to provide an enriching, dynamic, and supportive context for the development of literacy and to foster in visitors of all ages and backgrounds the confidence to appreciate and enjoy art of every kind.

The Museum—which houses three galleries dedicated to rotating exhibitions of picture book art, a hands-on Art Studio, a Reading Library, an Auditorium, a Café, and a Museum Shop—is located at 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, MA. Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 am to 4 pm, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday 12 noon to 5 pm. Admission is $9 for adults, $6 for children under 18, and $22.50 for a family of four. For further information and directions, call 413-658-1100 or visit The Museum’s website at www.carlemuseum.org.

IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE FOR REPRODUCTION
For additional press information and/or images,
please contact Sandy Soderberg, Marketing Manager
(413) 658–1105 / sandys@carlemuseum.org