WEEK PICK | lost illustrations of Kay Nielsen

Long loved and revered as a pioneer of Art Nouveau and the golden age of illustration, it may be hard to believe that this gifted illustrator was barely recognize in his lifetime and died in penury. 

The cover of Kay Nielsen's A Thousand and One Nights.
Courtesy of TASCHEN

Kay Nielsen (1886 to 1957), long ignored [for 40 years], unappreciated [for 60 more years] was denied the fame and fortune he so richly deserved. 

Kay Nielsen original watercolor from “The Tale of the First Dervish”

Nielsen filled his illustrations with expressionist, nearly surrealist characters and whimsical landscapes. Even today, his mysticism-tinted graphic art breaks pushes boundaries of what visual storytelling is supposed to look like. 

Noel Daniel, Cynthia Burlingham, Margaret Sironval, Colin White

Here at wonder | wander | world we are delighted with the recent release to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Nielsen's work. Taschen published all 21 of his original illustrations, reproduced directly from the never-before-seen original watercolors. 

The collection includes a book of essays
adding context to Nielsen's illustrations.

This extra large extra luxe coffee table tome matches in appearance and feel the wonder filled fantastical worlds Nielsen's art immersed us in. The prints are meticulously curated and presented in a blue velvet box, as if the book itself was a tale to unveil.