Maurice Sendak helped elevate children's literature into an artistic form capable of grappling with the universal complexities of how we think, imagine, feel and act. The literary icon, who passed away last month at 83, took his cue from other great thinkers, counting Mozart, Emily Dickinson, and Herman Melville among his influences.


In a roundabout way, it was Melville who brought Sendak's work to the current exhibition at the Rosenbach Museum & Library. In 1966, Sendak paid a visit to the little known corner of Philadelphia to examine the extensive collections of Melville's work housed at the Rosenbach. Two years later, Sendak himself began to house his work there, following Melville once again.
On June 10 -- which would have been Sendak's 84th birthday -- the Rosenbach opened a yearlong exhibition to celebrate Sendak's lifework. Maurice Sendak: A Legacy, planned after Sendak's death, is the most extensive exhibit of the author's artwork to date and features 65 objects to honor his career spanning 65 years.
Click through the following slideshow to see some of Sendak's work on display at the museum as well as images of the exhibition itself -- let the wild rumpus begin!