Wanda Gág’s World | Art & Artists

Mar 28–Dec 2, 2024

Exhibition works

8 total
“I aim to make the illustrations for children’s books as much a work of art”
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“I aim to make the illustrations for children’s books as much a work of art”

Open book with an illustration of a hill covered in cats and text describing a journey to show kittens to an old woman.
Open book with an illustration of a hill covered in cats and text describing a journey to show kittens to an old woman.

Wanda Gág, Millions of Cats (Special Edition), 1928. Offset lithography and wood engraving, 7 1/16 × 9 13/16 in. (18 × 25 cm) (closed). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Frances Mullhall Achilles Library, Special Collections SC.2024.1a-b

“I aim to make the illustrations for children’s books as much a work of art”

Gág is perhaps best known today as the author and illustrator of six original children’s books, two of which are included in the exhibition. “I aim to make the illustrations for children’s books as much a work of art as anything I would send to an art exhibition,” Gág explained, and the books reflect a whimsical spirit similar to that found in her fine-art printmaking. She was especially known for her innovative use of the book format, making her drawings cross over the gutter and weave through the text, which was hand-lettered by her brother Howard.

Illustration of a fantastical creature leading a parade of cats in a book.
Illustration of a fantastical creature leading a parade of cats in a book.

Wanda Gág, Millions of Cats (Special Edition), 1928. Offset lithography and wood engraving, 7 1/16 × 9 13/16 in. (18 × 25 cm) (closed). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Frances Mullhall Achilles Library, Special Collections SC.2024.1a-b

Millions of Cats (Special Edition), 1928

Cover of "The ABC Bunny" book by Wanda Gág with illustrations of a bunny, apples, and letters.
Cover of "The ABC Bunny" book by Wanda Gág with illustrations of a bunny, apples, and letters.

Wanda Gág, The ABC Bunny, 1933. Offset lithography, 11 × 11 in. (28 × 28 cm) (closed). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Frances Mullhall Achilles Library, Special Collections SC.33.1

The ABC Bunny, 1933

Open book with illustrated pages showing "C for Crash!" with a bowling ball and "D for Dash!" with a rabbit by a sign "ELSEWHERE."
Open book with illustrated pages showing "C for Crash!" with a bowling ball and "D for Dash!" with a rabbit by a sign "ELSEWHERE."

Wanda Gág, The ABC Bunny, 1933. Offset lithography, 11 × 11 in. (28 × 28 cm) (closed). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Frances Mullhall Achilles Library, Special Collections. SC.33.1

The ABC Bunny, 1933

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On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Frank WANG Yefeng, The Levitating Perils #2

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