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Maira Kalman
Children's book author, illustrator, product designer & librettist
Children's book author, illustrator, product designer & librettist
Maira Kalman writes about “Just Looking”: “The day is long and interesting. I will wander about and look at people talking to each other. Broken chairs on the street. Dogs and babies. I will stare at buildings, trees, shoes, hats. And watch this hustle and bustle until I go home and write impressions and paint visions. I really do not need to think. Just look.”
Maira Kalman (1949-) is an artist, illustrator, author and designer whose iconic creations live at the intersection of the joys and sorrows of human (and animal) experience. Her illustrations breathed new life into Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, and her own book of wisdom, The Principles of Uncertainty, compiles a monthly illustrated blog that appeared in the New York Times. 'Newyorkistan,' her New Yorker magazine cover reinventing the map of New York (done with Rick Meyerowitz), helped lift the despair of a city and nation in 2001. Children of all ages love her books about the dogs Pete and Max. Other collaborations include sets for Mark Morris Dance Group, and earlier work with her husband, designer Tibor Kalman, at their design company M&Co.
