Curious about Curious George: Exhibit explores character, creators

This image of Curious George is in the show 'Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey' in New York. Enlarge

An unpublished 'Curious George' image. Enlarge

NEW YORK — An exhibition at the Jewish Museum in New York City does more than just answer the question of why Curious George has no tail. (Although it does that too: The impish little guy is a fictional hybrid of a gibbon and an ape.)

It aims to do more than provide interesting trivia (i.e. George's original name was Fifi ) or even prove that children's illustrations can be art.

"Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey" puts the monkey and other vivid creatures dreamed up by the Jewish husband and wife during World War II into historical context in a way that provides insight into both the couple and their creations.

Visitors are introduced to the material with a bit of whimsy, entering the exhibit through a gate resembling an H.A. Rey illustration of a hotel. Inside are nearly 80 original drawings and watercolors exploding with color and gentle humor.

That's what struck curator Claudia Nahson and what she hopes will come across to others. The Reys, a German couple living in France, had more than one close call during the war and yet their work maintained a positive, beautiful attitude.

"They were creating art as the world was coming undone," Nahson says.

The exhibition's title refers to those times in which having drawings of Curious George (then known as Fifi) helped the Reys escape danger. Once was in 1939 when the couple left Paris for southern France, where authorities who were concerned about possible bomb-making activities were disarmed when they found only children's illustrations.

Another instance came a year later as the couple fled the country just ahead of the advancing Nazis. Again having art for children's books helped allay concerns from officials.

As the exhibit lays out this history - made better known through Louise Borden's 2005 book, The Journey that Saved Curious George - it also connects it to the content of the children's books.

Suddenly, works like Whiteblack the Penguin Sees the World and How Do You Get There? seem to mirror the Reys' preoccupation with journeys. The way Curious George always flirts with disaster now becomes a close parallel to the experiences of his creators.

"The idea of the narrow escape and being saved just by a very tight margin, that idea, I think it's very much what they were going through," says Nahson.

The difference, of course, is that the books always managed to be light, upbeat, and fun while real life was a matter of life and death.

In all, the Reys made more than 30 books, seven of them starring everyone's favorite inquisitive monkey. The couple worked on their creations together: H.A. Rey made the watercolors and formulated the story, which his wife developed into a full plot.

The displays at the Jewish Museum are heavy on the art, and for good reason, but there also is documentation related to the Reys' escape from Europe and a touch-screen computer that allows visitors to learn more about the couple through more illustrations, photographs, journal entries, and an interview. (Virtual visitors can check that part out online at thejewishmuseum.org.)

The heart of the exhibit, though, remains the Reys' great heart, a joy that is visible in everything they created. It pulsates from the nostalgic pictures of Curious George wrecking havoc to the playful New Year greeting cards the couple created annually after making their way to New York in 1940 (via Spain, Portugal, and Brazil).

Perhaps the best way to experience this is in the reading room. Filled with oversized floor pillows in the shape of sea creatures and Curious George books in English, Spanish, and even Yiddish, the room bridges the gap between an intellectual appreciation for the Reys and an emotional one.

It is here - in the sound of turning pages and laughing youngsters - that the Reys' legacy truly comes to life.

"Curious George Saves the Day" will be in New York through Aug. 1. From there it moves to San Francisco, where the Contemporary Jewish Museum (thecjm.org) will host it from Nov. 14 until March 13, 2011.

Contact Ryan E. Smith at:

ryansmith@theblade.com

or 419-724-6103