Curious about George?
By DIANE HEILENMAN • May 21, 2004
The Courier-Journal (St. Louis)
Go bananas over mischievous monkey Curious George at the opening of an exhibit at the Louisville Free Public Library.
Will the kids be fooled?
A “Curious George” impersonator will make a monkey out of him/herself as part of the opening antics for an exhibit of the art of “Curious George” at the Louisville Free Public Library this weekend.
The little brown monkey who has stood the test of 60 years of storybook fame is the main star of “The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey,” which opens at 9 a.m. tomorrow. The opening will be followed by the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. kickoff of the Louisville Free Public Library’s Summer Reading Program for children.
The exhibit includes 90 pieces of original artwork with “Curious George”-inspired items by Bette Midler, Matt Lauer, Rosie O’Donnell and other celebrities.
The enduring, endearing monkey was created by Hans Augusto Rey (1898-1977) and Margret Rey (1906-1996), a German Jewish couple living in Paris who fled the city by bicycle hours before the Nazi occupation. One of the few things they took with them was the first illustrated manuscript of “Curious George,” which was published in 1941 in New York.
It was an instant success. The Reys wrote six more adventures of the mischievous monkey and his friend, the Man in the Yellow Hat.
The exhibit continues through Aug. 14 at the Main Library, Second and York streets. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
