Maira Kalman

Maira Kalman paints her highly personal worldview in this inimitable combination of image and textAn irresistible invitation to experience life through a beloved artist's psyche, The Principles of Uncertainty is a compilation of Maira Kalman's New York Times columns. Part personal narrative, part documentary, part travelogue, part chapbook, and all Kalman, these brilliant, whimsical paintings, ideas, and images - which initially appear random - ultimately form an intricately interconnected worldview, an idiosyncratic inner monologue.

With her trademark style, wit, sensitivity, and spontaneity, Maira Kalman guides a whirlwind tour of American democracy.And the Pursuit of Happiness is beloved artist and author Maira Kalman's yearlong investigation of democracy and how it works. Energized and inspired by the 2008 elections, on inauguration day Kalman traveled to Washington, D.C., launching a national tour that would take her from a town hall meeting in Newfane, Vermont, to the inner chambers of the Supreme Court.As we follow Kalman's wholly idiosyncratic journey, we fall in love with Lincoln alongside her as she imagines making a home for herself in the center of his magisterial memorial; ponder Alexis de Tocqueville's America; witness the inner workings of a Bronx middle-school student council; take a high-speed lesson in great American women in the National Portrait Gallery; and consider the cost of war to the brave American service families of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The observations she makes as she travels charm and inform, and-as we have come to expect with Kalman-the route is always one of fascinating indirection.Kalman finds evidence of democracy at work all around us. And the cast of characters we meet along the way is rousing good company, featuring visits from Benjamin Franklin, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many others. And the Pursuit of Happiness is a remarkable tribute to our history and a powerful reminder of the potential our future holds, from a true national treasure. Watch a Video

Abraham Lincoln is one of the first giants of history children are introduced to, and now Maira Kalman brings him to life with her trademark style and enthusiasm. Lincoln's legacy is everywhere - there he is on your penny and five-dollar bill. And we are still the United States because Lincoln helped hold them together.But who was he, really? The little girl in this book wants to find out. Among the many other things, she discovers our sixteenth president was a man who believed in freedom for all, had a dog named Fido, loved Mozart, apples, and his wife's vanilla cake, and kept his notes in his hat. From his boyhood in a log cabin to his famous presidency and untimely death, Kalman shares Lincoln's remarkable life with young readers in a fresh and exciting way.

From the critically acclaimed artist, designer, and author of the bestsellers The Principles of Uncertainty and My Favorite Things comes a wondrous collection of words and paintings that is a moving meditation on the beauty and complexity of women's lives and roles, revealed in the things they hold."What do women hold? The home and the family. And the children and the food. The friendships. The work. The work of the world. And the work of being human. The memories. And the troubles. And the sorrows and the triumphs. And the love."In the spring of 2021, Maira and Alex Kalman created a small, limited-edition booklet "Women Holding Things," which featured select recent paintings by Maira, accompanied by her insightful and deeply personal commentary. The booklet quickly sold out. Now, the Kalmans have expanded that original publication into this extraordinary visual compendium.Women Holding Things includes the bright, bold images featured in the booklet as well as an additional sixty-seven new paintings highlighted by thoughtful and intimate anecdotes, recollections, and ruminations. Most are portraits of women, both ordinary and famous, including Virginia Woolf, Sally Hemings, Hortense Cezanne, Gertrude Stein, as well as Kalman's family members and other real-life people. These women hold a range of objects, from the mundane--balloons, a cup, a whisk, a chicken, a hat--to the abstract--dreams and disappointments, sorrow and regret, joy and love.Kalman considers the many things that fit physically and metaphorically between women's hands: We see a woman hold a book, hold shears, hold children, hold a grudge, hold up, hold her own. In visually telling their stories, Kalman lays bare the essence of women's lives--their tenacity, courage, vulnerability, hope, and pain. Ultimately, she reveals that many of the things we hold dear--as well as those that burden or haunt us--remain constant and connect us from generation to generation.Here, too, are pictures of a few men holding things, such as Rainer Maria Rilke and Anton Chekhov, as well as objects holding other objects that invite us to ponder their intimate relationships to one another.Women Holding Things explores the significance of the objects we carry--in our hands, hearts, and minds--and speaks to, and for, all of us. Maira Kalman's unique work is a celebration of life, of the act and the art of living, offering an original way of examining and understanding all that is important in our world--and ultimately within ourselves.

The John J. Harvey fireboat was the largest, fastest, shiniest fireboatof its time, but by 1995, the city didn't need old fireboats anymore. So the Harvey retired, until a group of friends decided to save it from the scrap heap. Then, one sunny September day in 2001, something so horrible happened that the whole world shook. And a call came from the fire department, asking if the Harvey could battle the roaring flames. In this inspiring true story, Maira Kalman brings a New York City icon to life and proves that old heroes never die.

From Maira Kalman, the author of the bestsellers The Principles of Uncertainty and The Elements of Style, comes this beautiful pictorial and narrative exploration of the significance of objects in our lives, drawn from her personal artifacts, recollections, and selections from the collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design MuseumWith more than fifty original paintings and featuring bestselling author and illustrator Maira Kalman’s signature handwritten prose, My Favorite Things is a poignant and witty meditation on the importance of both quotidian and unusual objects in our culture and private worlds.Created in the same colorful, engaging, and insightful style as her previous works, which have won her fans around the world, My Favorite Things features more than fifty objects from both the Cooper-Hewitt and Kalman’s personal collections: the pocket watch Abraham Lincoln was carrying when he was shot, original editions of Winnie-the-Pooh and Alice in Wonderland, a handkerchief in memoriam of Queen Victoria, an Ingo Maurer lamp, Rietveld’s Z chair, a pair of Toscanini’s pants, and photographs Kalman has taken of people walking towards and away from her. A pictorial index provides photographs of the actual objects and a short description of them, enhancing the reading experience.As it speaks to the universal experience and importance of beloved objects in our lives—big and small, famous and private—this unique work is a fresh way of examining and understanding our society, history, culture, and ourselves.

Renowned artist Maira Kalman sheds light on the fascinating life and interests of the Renaissance man who was our third president.Thomas Jefferson is perhaps best known for writing the Declaration of Independence—but there’s so much more to discover. This energetic man was interested in everything . He played violin, spoke seven languages and was a scientist, naturalist, botanist, mathematician and architect. He designed his magnificent home, Monticello, which is full of objects he collected from around the world. Our first foodie, he grew over fifteen kinds of peas and advocated a mostly vegetarian diet. And oh yes, as our third president, he doubled the size of the United States and sent Lewis and Clark to explore it. He also started the Library of Congress and said, “I cannot live without books.” But monumental figures can have monumental flaws, and Jefferson was no exception. Although he called slavery an “abomination,” he owned about 150 slaves.As she did in Looking at Lincoln , Maira Kalman shares a president’s remarkable, complicated life with young readers, making history come alive with her captivating text and stunning illustrations.

Maira Kalman, with wit and great sensitivity, reveals why dogs bring out the best in us Maira Kalman + Dogs = Bliss Dogs have lessons for us all. In Beloved Dog, renowned artist and author Maira Kalman illuminates our cherished companions as only she can. From the dogs lovingly illustrated in her acclaimed children’s books to the real-life pets who inspire her still, Kalman’s Beloved Dog is joyful, beautifully illustrated, and, as always, deeply philosophical. Here is Max Stravinsky, the dog poet of Oh-La-La (Max in Love)-fame, and her own Irish Wheaton Pete (almost named Einstein, until he revealed himself to be “clearly no Einstein”), who also made an appearance in the delightful What Pete Ate: From A to Z. And of course, there is Boganch, Kalman’s in-laws’ “big black slobbering Hungarian Beast.” And that’s just the beginning. With humor and intelligence, Kalman gives voice to the dogs she adores, noting that they are constant reminders that life reveals the best of itself when we live fully in the moment and extend unconditional love. “And it is very true,” she writes, “that the most tender, complicated, most generous part of our being blossoms without any effort, when it comes to the love of a dog.”

A School Library Journal Best Book of the YearA Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the YearA Recommended New Book for Missouri StudentsA Miami Herald Best Book of the YearIs there anything Pete won't eat? Poppy's charming yellow dog starts off by eating Rocky's accordion. All of it. He snacks on a bouncing ball that belongs to Uncle Bennie's dog Buster, and then makes a meal out of the rest of the alphabet. From glue sticks to underpants, Pete works his way through all twenty-six letters in Maira Kalman's creative take on traditional alphabet books. Packed with Kalman's trademark bright artwork and a hilarious story filled with wordplay and repetition, this alphabet book is pure fun from A to Z.

2018 National Jewish Book Award Finalist Maira Kalman, the author of the bestsellers The Principles of Uncertainty and The Elements of Style, and Alex Kalman, the designer, curator, writer, and founder of Mmuseumm, combine their talents in this captivating family memoir, a creative blend of narrative and striking visuals that is a paean to an exceptional woman and a celebration of individuality, personal expression, and the art of living authentically. In the early 1950s, Jewish émigré Sara Berman arrived in the Bronx with her husband and two young daughters When the children were grown, she and her husband returned to Israel, but Sara did not stay for long. In the late 1960s, at age sixty, she left her husband after thirty-eight years of marriage. One night, she packed a single suitcase and returned alone to New York City, moving intoa studio apartment in Greenwich Village near her family. In her new home, Sara began discovering new things and establishing new rituals, from watching Jeopardy each night at 7:00 to eating pizza at the Museum of Modern Art’s cafeteria every Wednesday. She also began discarding the unnecessary, according to the "in a burst of personal expression, she decided to wear only white." Sara kept her belongings in an extraordinarily clean and organized closet. Filled with elegant, minimalist, heavily starched, impeccably pressed and folded all-white clothing, including socks and undergarments, as well as carefully selected objects—from a potato grater to her signature perfume, Chanel No.19—the space was sublime. Upon her death in 2004, her family decided to preserve its pristine contents, hoping to find a way to exhibit them one day. In 2015, the Mmuseumm, a new type of museum located in a series of unexpected locations founded and curated by Sara’s grandson, Alex Kalman, recreated the space in a popular exhibit—Sara Berman's Closet—in Tribeca. The installation eventually moved to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The show will run at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles from December 4, 2018 to March 10, 2019; it will open again about a month later at the National Museum of American Jewish History from April 5, 2019 to September 1, 2019. Inspired by the exhibit, this spectacular illustrated memoir, packed with family photographs, exclusive images, and Maira Kalman's distinctive paintings, is an ode to Sara’s life, freedom, and re-invention. Sara Berman’s Clos et is an indelible portrait of the human experience—overcoming hardship, taking risks, experiencing joy, enduring loss. It is also a reminder of the significance of the seemingly insignificant moments in our lives—the moments we take for granted that may turn out to be the sweetest. Filled with a daughter and grandson’s wry and touching observations conveyed in Maira’s signature script, Sara Berman’s Closest is a beautiful, loving tribute to one woman’s indomitable spirit.

Girls Standing on Lawns is a unique collaboration between renowned artist and bestselling children’s book author Maira Kalman and New York Times bestselling writer Daniel Handler, better known as Lemony Snicket. This clever book contains 40 vintage photographs from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, more than a dozen original paintings by Kalman inspired by the photographs, and brief, lyrical texts by Handler. Poetic and thought-provoking, Girls Standing on Lawns is a meditation on memories, childhood, nostalgia, home, family, and the act of seeing. The gorgeous visual material sets the stage for what Handler succinctly describes as “a photograph, a painting, a sentence, a pose.” Girls, women, families, and even pets from days gone by grace the pages, looking out at us, enticing readers to imagine these people, their lives—and where they have gone.

The high society of Paris is scrambling to wine and dine the wealthy and talented dog poet, Max, during his visit, but when Max sees the dalmation Crepes Suzette perform at the Crazy Wolf Nightclub, all he cares about is winning her love. Reprint.

A moving meditation in words and pictures on remorse, joy, ancestry, and memoryMaira Kalman’s most autobiographical and intimate work to date, Still Life with Remorse is a beautiful, four-color collection combining deeply personal stories and fifty striking full-color paintings in the vein of her and Alex Kalman’s acclaimed Women Holding Things.Tracing her family’s story from her grandfather’s birth in Belarus and immigration to Tel Aviv—where she was born—Kalman considers her unique family history, illuminating the complex relationship between recollection, regret, happiness, and heritage. The vibrant original art accompanying these autobiographical pieces are mostly still-lifes and interiors, which serve as counterpoints to her powerful words. In addition to vignettes exploring her Israeli and Jewish roots, Kalman includes short stories about other great artists, writers, and composers, including Leo Tolstoy, Franz Kafka, Gustav Mahler, and Robert Schumann.Through these narratives, Kalman uses her signature wit and tenderness to reveal how family history plays an influential role in all of our work, lives, and perspectives. A feat of visual storytelling and vulnerability, Still Life with Remorse explores the profound hidden in the quotidian, and illuminates the powerful universal truths in our most personal family stories.

With great style, wit, and joy, Maira Kalman and Barbara Scott-Goodman celebrate their favorite dessert.In Cake, renowned artist and author Maira Kalman and food writer Barbara Scott-Goodman bring us a beautifully illustrated book dedicated to their love of cakes. Filled with Kalman's inimitable illustrations and memories, from chocolate cake on a terrace in Tel Aviv as a child to a gorgeous pink cake enjoyed over Lucretius and Nietzsche in Rome, and sprinkled with seventeen mouthwatering recipes prepared by Scott-Goodman, Cake is a joyful and whimsical celebration of a timeless dessert.

Max, a dog who dreams of being a poet in Paris, must be content to remain in New York City with his friends Bruno, a painter, and Marcello , a crazy architect

You’re supposed to stop and smell the roses but truth be told it doesn’t take that long to smell them. You hardly have to stop. You can smell the roses and still have time to run all those errands before the sun goes down and it’s dinner time.Hurry Up and Wait is the second volume in a new series of collaborations between renowned artist and bestselling author Maira Kalman, New York Times bestselling writer Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket), and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. This time a whimsical collection of images captures people in motion—or not. In snapshots by some of the world’s most celebrated photographers, some people stride forth, dash across streets, race on bicycles, and jump over puddles, while others form snaking lines, daydream on park benches, and linger on sidewalks with friends. So what’s the rush? With 11 vibrant new illustrations by Kalman inspired by the photographs, and thought-provoking prose by Handler that ponders the merits of action, Hurry Up and Wait will charm readers of all ages.

At Grand Central Station, Chief of Police George Coppola finds lost people, and Mr. Chidchester, head of the Lost and Found, finds lost dogs. Marino Marino makes oyster stew, while thinking up interesting math problems. A man in a porkpie hat buys cherry pies. Maira Kalman 's stylized artwork, along with entertaining text, brilliantly captures the excitement of Grand Central Station, "the busiest, fastest, biggest place there is."

Enter Max. Dreamer. Poet. Dog. In this rollicking madcap tale, Max and his dazzling Dalmation bride take off to direct a move in Hollywood.

Maira Kalman’s exuberant illustrations and humorous commentary bring design history to life in this inspired ABC book that celebrates thirty-one objects from the Cooper Hewitt, in time for its long-awaited reopening. "A. Ah-ha! There you Are." begins Maira Kalman’s joyfully illustrated romp through the treasures of Cooper Hewitt’s design collection. With her signature wit and warm humor, Kalman’s ABC book introduces children and adults to the myriad ways design touches our lives. Posing the question "If you were starting a museum, what would you put in your collection?", Kalman encourages the reader to put pen to paper and send in personal letters—an intimate, interactive gesture to top off her unique tour of the world of design. Objects ranging from a thirteenth-century silk thinking cap to 1889 tin slippers with bows, all the way to Gerrit Rietveld’s Zig-Zag chair are brought to colorful life. Kalman’s hand-lettered text is whimsical and universal in turns, drawing lessons as easily from a worn old boot as a masterpiece of midcentury modernism. Irresistibly, we are led to agree, "Everything is design."

This book is about the meaning of life. I don't like to boast, but I have a lot of experience in the life business. I remember what King Tut said to me once, as we were strolling along the Nile on a balmy afternoon:"Mai Ra [that was my name then], one day you will creat a character who is a dog-poet named Gus [we can't always be right], and you will use him as a vehicle [and we discussed modes of transportation and I remember clearly we touched on the concept of the wheel, except we called it a veel] to explain the meaning of life. And you will get paid a bargeload of saffron and you will have a large barbecue for all your friends, no hair [?] or locusts will plague you, and you will have The New York Times delivered to your door every day."I passed through a few hundred more lives, some as a toad, some as a vase, and now here I am. (In the next life I will not have to write flap copy.) I hope you are not having a ritten day, but if you are, I have thrown in a recipe for a hot toddy so all is not lost in the sands, the mist, the misty sandy mists of time.

Alexander loves listening to his sister Lulu's inventive bedtime stories--about the blue and green mountains where fish fly, the three cross-eyed dogs that eat in fancy restaurants, and Aunt Ida's most unusual party

Having a dog in class is always a clue that it's going to be an interesting day, especially when the dog in question-and the one with all the answers-is the insatiable canine gourmand Pete, last seen munching everything from jellybeans to underwear on his way through the alphabet in What Pete Ate from A-Z .Poppy Wise has mixed feelings about school and her teachers have mixed feelings about her dog, Pete. Pete wreaks havoc in math; causes chaos in science (Mrs. Magma has a meltdown when he swallows her microscope!); and is a star in art (Miss Crumple finds Pete colorful when he eats all the crayons). As Pete gets his fill of knowledge, he also serves as an impetus for learning rules are made to be broken and there is no end to learning. This new adventure is sure to be another "giggly meal for readers who relish ridiculousness, randomness, rambunctiousness and alliteration."-Time Out New York

Alexander and his older sister Lulu visit Japan and discover many fascinating things including fish markets, outdoor baths, futons, and a frog who writes haiku.

The author of Max Makes a Million takes young readers into a mysterious world peopled by a composer, a firewoman, a doorman, a short-order cook, an astronomer, and individuals with other fascinating careers.

Can a photograph capture the sensation of a warm spring breeze or the smell of freshly fallen snow? Weather, Weather , the third volume in a series of creative collaborations between renowned artist and bestselling author Maira Kalman, New York Times bestselling author Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket), and The Museum of Modern Art, New York, is an evocative exploration of the physical environments captured in photographs from around the world. From the rainy streets of Paris to a sun-dappled pool in Beverly Hills, from steamy summer sidewalks in Brooklyn to snow-covered fields in Japan, the photographs depict much more than what first meets the eye. Featuring vibrant new paintings by Kalman inspired by these photographs and poetic prose by Handler that bring the images to life, Weather, Weather is a tender reflection on the passing of seasons, perspective, and memory.

3 spectaculous adventures starring Max Stravinsky, poet, dreamer, dog: - Max Makes a Million - Ooh-la-la (Max in Love)- Max in Hollywood, Baby.

Beloved artist Maira Kalman shows us that a darling baby is all you need to see everything with new eyesBased on the journal she kept during the first months she spent with her new granddaughter, Maira Kalman brings to life the tiny and grand moments of one summer by the sea, brimming with beauty and love. Like the classics Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born and More, More, More Said the Baby, this book offers young children an irresistible window into a time when they were the center of their family's world. New parents and grandparents will delight in the exploration of how nothing makes an ordinary day more extraordinary than sharing it with a baby.

The Calder Circus comes roaring into town to razzle dazzle those of all ages.

Marking the 350th anniversary of the death of Rembrandt van Rijn, this fourth volume in the Frick Diptych series offers fresh insight into one of the artist’s most romantic and enigmatic portraits―The Polish Rider. This painting has been on view at The Frick Collection since the museum opened to the public in December 1935, and has inspired countless theories about its subject, meaning and history. An illuminating essay by Xavier F. Salomon, the Frick’s Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, addresses the many questions of provenance, attribution, and historical and artistic context. In a creative, vibrant piece, New York based author and illustrator Maira Kalman, captures the elusive nature of the painting; an imaginary musing about Rembrandt, being Polish, a traveller, and her enduring fascination with the Frick. Designed to foster critical engagement and interest the specialist and non-specialist alike, each book in the Frick Diptych series illuminates a single work in the Frick’s rich collection with an essay by a Frick curator paired with a contribution from a contemporary artist or writer. Other volumes in the series include Holbein’s Sir Thomas More by Hilary Mantel and Xavier F. Salomon, Vermeer’s Mistress and Maid by James Ivory and Margaret Iacono, and Gouthière’s Candelabras by Edmund de Waal and Charlotte Vignon.