NY Times Article Review

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/arts/design/26curious.html

The article that I am reviewing is about the Curious George Exhibit at the Jewish Museum. It is a new addition that talks about the history behind the story and the authors Margret and H.A. Rey. The exhibition is a collection of letters, books and drawings from their life. The article gives the story behind Curious George and where he came from. The Reys started off married in France in 1939, the two Jewish-Germans lived in a castle owned by some friends. Soon World War II started and they knew that they needed to stay inside the castle and hide from the public's view. This is where Curious George came in, the couple spent their spare time putting together a book about a monkey named Fifi (who became Curious George). Eventually their neighbors saw the couple in the house and called the local authorities on them. They came right away and inspected to find some bomb making materials but were surprised when they arrived to find an art studio with paintings of a silly monkey. This was the first but not the last time that the couples creation of the children's book would save their life.
When people go and visit the exhibit they don't just learn about the history of the books. They also learn the history of one couples journey to escape the Nazis. This exhibit was chosen to be placed in the Jewish Museum because of all of the hardships that the Reys endured and how they were singled out because of their beliefs. It is an inspirational story that keeps the interest of the viewer. The Reys were forced to travel the world and not find a place they were able to call home because of their Jewish heritage. They had created the idea of Curious George from the notion that consequence were everything during the time they lived in. They thought that there was no better way of showing that than by creating a monkey that had the curiosity of a five year old. The exhibit was named 'Curious George Saves the Day' because George saved the day in his adventures just like the paintings of him saved the lives the Reys.
The exhibit itself is shown in a gallery fashion so as you walk through the French style doors you see many of the original drawings from H.A. Rey. The walls are painted a yellow that help bring out the vibrant colors of the drawings. One important feature of the exhibit is that a lot of the drawings are moved lower than a typical exhibit because of the amount of youthful viewers.
I found this exhibit very interesting because I had never known anything about the creator of Curious George. I believe that the article gives an insightful experience of what he went through during a time that Jewish people face persecution. The exhibit seems as though it not only displays his works in an appealing fashion but also gives the view a great story as well.