Something Else Entirely, the Illustration Art of Edward Gorey Exhibition Is Now Open

This past weekend Something Else Entirely, The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey opened at The Society of Illustrators in New York City. This much anticipated exhibition showcases 108 original artworks by Edward Gorey, the majority of which have never been displayed publicly before. Offering a fresh perspective on the artist's fifty year career as a commercial artist, the works on display include pen & ink drawings, color pieces, sketches, and hand rendered lettering. 

Visitors to the gallery are greeted by a wall sized mural reproducing Gorey's drop curtain from his 1994 production of Amphigorey.Visual treasures fill the gallery walls, and because these are illustrations for books, periodicals, and ephemera each piece has its own story to tell.

For the location, gallery hours and admissions, go HERE.

Gallery shots courtesy of The Society of Illustrators, Art is Fun color image from the collection of Irwin Terry.

  

Let The Gorey Show Begin!

The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity on the third floor gallery of the Society of Illustrators in New York City. After more than a year of planning, the exhibition Something Else Entirely, The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey will open to the public on Saturday October 4th and will be on display through the end of the year.

With the gallery walls prepped and ready for the original artworks gathered together from near and far, the process of composing the exhibit began early Thursday morning this week. 

Steve Compton, director of Exhibitions and Collections (pictured right) headed an exhibition hanging crew that included guest curator and collector Russell Lehrer (pictured left).

With multiple display areas and two levels, the airy gallery space retains a feeling of intimacy that is perfect for displaying Mr. Gorey's works.

Exhibition rarities were sorted as the space began to fill with fabulous examples of Edward Gorey's original artworks.

As selected groupings of artwork were finalized, the work of hanging the show began in earnest. Steve Compton positions art from The 12 Terrors of Christmas.

The Society of Illustrators executive director Arabelle Liepold stopped into the gallery during the hanging to offer advice and encouragement.

Jonathan Logan, the Society's exhibitions associate and art handler accepted and unpacked a much anticipated late arrival from California.

Russell Lehrer continued to group rare pieces throughout the day. Along with Russell, I am a guest curator for the show but was unable to travel to New York to help with setup in person. Through Russell's efforts throughout the day sending texts and photographs I was able to offer encouragement and opinions from afar.

Will Baker from the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust offers placement suggestions for a piece of art that was deemed "too scary" for the 1969 cover of Some Things Are Scary by Florence Parry Heide. 

With most of the artworks placed by late Thursday afternoon, the crew retired to rest and regroup for their return on Friday.

 Day 2 began with the installation of a large wall mural with introductory text that will greet visitors to the gallery. 

Several display cases were filled with books and ephemera from Russell Lehrer's extensive collection, each relating to the artworks on display. 

By the end of the day on Friday, the gallery only needed some finishing touches and a general straightening to welcome visitors on Saturday morning!

For more information on the Society of Illustrators, including gallery hours and special events go to https://societyillustrators.org.

 Photos courtesy of Russell Lehrer and The Society of Illustrators.

 

Edward Gorey, The Beginning and the End

Pop Quiz. What was Edward Gorey's first published illustration? Hint...it was published in 1950. Do you know which illustration was the last to leave Mr. Gorey's drawing table and was published months after his passing in April 2000? The two pieces of original art that bookmark Edward Gorey's illustration career will be included in the upcoming exhibition Something Else Entirely, The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey at the Society of Illustrators in New York City.

 

Something Else Entirely Exhibition - Art on the Move

From California, Texas, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and across town in Manhattan, original artworks by Edward Gorey are on the move to the Society of Illustrators for the highly anticipated Something Else Entirely, The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey exhibition.

Joining works lent by The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust and several other collectors, nineteen pieces of original illustration art by Edward Gorey from my personal collection have arrived at the Society.

The Society of Illustrators is located at 128 East 63rd St., New York, NY 10065. Visit their website HERE. 

 

A Something Else Entirely Exhibition Disussion - Lisa Brown and Daniel Handler Discuss Muriel Spark and Edward Gorey's The Very Fine Clock

In conjunction with the upcoming centennial exhibition Something Else Entirely, The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey at the Society of Illustrators in New York City, illustrator Lisa Brown and author Daniel Handler will discuss the new publication of The Very Fine Clock and how Edward Gorey influences their own works. The presentation will take place at the Society of Illustrators 128 East 63rd Street, New York City on Wednesday October 15th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

Written by Muriel Spark and illustrated by Edward Gorey, The Very Fine Clock is an imaginative children's book that was first published in 1968 by Alfred A. Knopf Publishers. This new edition by Transit Books celebrates Transit's 10 year anniversary and is the first book of their Transit Children's Editions. This edition is being printed using the latest printing technology and new scans of the original Edward Gorey artwork for optimum reproduction quality.

Lisa Brown is a celebrated illustrator, writer and cartoonist. Daniel Handler is the author of many books including the Series of Unfortunate Events series, written under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket. The husband and wife team will discuss the influences of Edward Gorey on their own works.

Seating for the event is limited, and tickets are required to attend. For more information and to secure a ticket, go to the Society of Illustrators Events Page HERE.  

Images courtesy of The Society of Illustrators and Transit Books.

Something Else Entirely, The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey Exhibition

The centennial celebrations honoring Edward Gorey continue with Something Else Entirely, The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey at the Society of Illustrators in New York City from October 4, 2025 through January 3, 2026. Featuring an in-depth section of over 80 pieces of original art, this will be the largest exhibition of original artworks by Edward Gorey in the United States since the critically acclaimed Elegant Enigmas traveling exhibition. The official Exhibition Opening Reception will be held on Thursday October 16th.

Focusing on Mr. Gorey's five decades long career as an illustrator, Something Else Entirely shines a spotlight on Mr. Gorey's illustrative collaborations with a wide variety of authors, publishers, and periodicals. Curated from the archives of The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, San Diego State University and several noted private collections, many of the works included in the exhibition have never before been publicly displayed. 

Located at 128 East 63rd Street in New York City, The Society of Illustrators was founded in 1901 and has year-round themed exhibitions featuring classic and contemporary illustration art. The Society also conducts educational programs and juried  competitions. 

For more information about the exhibition and The Society of Illustrators, go HERE. 

The Gloomy Gallery, A Centennial Exhibition

The Gloomy Gallery, an exhibition celebrating the centennial of Edward Gorey's birth is opening on September 2nd at Harvard University's Houghton Library. Showcasing holdings from the library's extensive collection of Gorey material, the exhibit will feature books, manuscripts, and original artworks, many of which have not been previously displayed.

The exhibit will also include a suite of more than a dozen recently acquired drawings created by Edward Gorey for a college roommate, Tony Smith. For more information on the exhibition, including registration to attend the opening on Thursday September 4th, go HERE.

Images courtesy The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust and The Houghton Library.