Overview

The first-ever book on the extraordinary career of Tony Sarg, founder of modern American puppetry and creator of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons Tony Sarg (1880–1942), an American artist born in Guatemala to a diplomatic family, first achieved professional success as an illustrator in London and New York. But in the 1920s, he gained even greater renown for his touring puppet shows based on classic tales like Alice in Wonderland and Robinson Crusoe. Fusing the time-honored craft of traditional marionette shows with a playful modern sensibility, Sarg's productions were foundational to American puppetry: Jim Henson can be considered a direct artistic descendant. Yet this was only one facet of Sarg's varied accomplishments: he was also a pioneer in animated films and children's books, and, as a longtime designer for Macy's, he invented the gigantic balloons used in the firm's Thanksgiving Day Parade. (He also employed one of his parade balloons in the famous Nantucket Sea Serpent hoax of 1937.) This abundantly illustrated volume, published to coincide with a major exhibition organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum, is the first to survey Tony Sarg's protean career. It brings together imagery and artifacts from numerous public and private collections, and includes special sections on Sarg's long association with the island of Nantucket and his influence on American puppetry. Tony Sarg: Genius at Play will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in the history of popular culture. AUTHORS: Lenore D. Miller is Curator Emerita of the George Washington University Museum. Stephanie Haboush Plunkett is Deputy Director/Chief Curator of the Norman Rockwell Museum. She currently leads the Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies and has organized many illustration-based exhibitions, including Inventing America: Rockwell and Warhol; Rockwell and Realism in an Abstract World; The Unknown Hopper: Edward Hopper as Illustrator; William Steig: Love & Laughter; and Ephemeral Beauty: Al Parker and the American Women's Magazine, 1940-1960; as well as the international traveling exhibition Enduring Ideals: Rockwell, Roosevelt & the Four Freedoms. Her most recent publication is Drawing Lessons from the Famous Artists School: Classic Techniques and Expert Tips from the Golden Age of Illustration. SELLING POINTS: . The first book on the father of American puppetry and inventor of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons . Sarg was also an influential illustrator and children's book creator . And he was a well-known figure on Nantucket, where he pulled the famous Nantucket Sea Serpent hoax of 1937 (subject of an American Experience segment on PBS) . Catalogue of major exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts (June through August 2023) . Marks the rediscovery of a major cultural figure of the 1920s and 30s 150 illustrations

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9780789214553

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"""One of my favorite books during those same youthful years was Tony Sarg’s New York, a collection of full-page illustrations looking down on well-known New York City attractions."" - Print Mag"

Author Information

Lenore D. Miller is Curator Emerita of the George Washington University Museum. Stephanie Haboush Plunkett is Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

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