215
●
MAURICE SENDAK.
“Happy Birthday!”
Watercolor and ink. 203x156mm; 8x6
1
/
8
inches, sheet. Inscribed and Signed “To Peter from
Maurice Sendak & Eugene Glynn with much affection! July 6, ’73.” Laid down to foam-
core, and matted, some sunning to image.
[12,000/15,000]
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.
