Charles Santore: Fifty Years of Art and Storytelling

This first-ever retrospective of the work of Charles Santore (born 1935) traces the development of the internationally renowned illustrator from his commercial work of the 1960s to his most recent children’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2017). The exhibition includes illustrations for The Wizard of Oz, Paul Revere’s Ride, A Stowaway on Noah’s Ark, Snow White, and other books, together with theater posters, album covers, and celebrity portraits made for TV Guide in the 1970s and 1980s. Preliminary sketches, color studies, and dummy books show how Santore brings characters to life and makes them his own. The accompanying digital catalogue includes a conversation with the artist.

Born in Philadelphia, Santore graduated from the Philadelphia Museum School of Art (now the University of the Arts) in 1956. He began his career as a freelance illustrator working for advertising agencies and magazines including, TV Guide, Saturday Evening Post, Time, Life and many others. Since 1986 Santore has worked as a children’s book illustrator becoming one of the most respected and acclaimed illustrators of today.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website