Maurice Sendak: a life in pictures

Sendak with his book Where the Wild Things Are at the International Youth Library in Munich, 1971 Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images

The cover of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, which has sold over 17m copies since it was published in 1963 Photograph: HarperCollins/AP

Sendak poses with one of the monsters from his book Where the Wild Things Are, created for the operatic adaptation of the book in St. Paul, US, 1985 Photograph: AP

Max found that he was a fearsome wild thing in Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
© Maurice Sendak 1963 and 1991

Sendak in the set shop with some of his creations for the Glyndebourne Festival Opera's production of Ravel's L'Heure Espagnole and L'Enfant et les Sortileges in 1987
Courtesy of Glyndebourne Festival Opera Photograph: Ira Nowinski/Corbis

Maurice Sendak based the wild things in his famous book Where the Wild Things Are on memories of his relatives
© Maurice Sendak 1963 and 1991

Sendak checks proofs of art at his home in Conneticut, 1988 Photograph: AP

Sendak supervises Nickolodeon's animation of his illustrations for the story Little Bear, 1995 Photograph: Susie King/AP

Maurice Sendak stands by a life-size scene from Where The Wild Things Are at the Children's Museum of Manhattan in 2002 Photograph: James Keyser/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image

A Wild Thing balloon lurks overhead in Times Square, New York, during the 2002 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Photograph: New York Daily/Getty Images

Sendak on the set of the film Where the Wild Things Are (2008) with director Spike Jonze Photograph: Warner/Everett/Rex Features

A wild rumpus takes place in Maurice Sendak's classic picture book Where the Wild Things Are
© Maurice Sendak 1963 and 1991

Maurice Sendak Way in lower Manhattan, New York. Two streets (the other named "Wild Things" Way) were dedicated to the author in 2009 Photograph: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Sendak with his German Shepherd, Herman, at his home in Ridgefield, Connecticut, in 2011 Photograph: Tim Knox for the Guardian

Barack Obama and Michelle Obama read from Where the Wild Things Are, during the 2012 White House Easter Egg Roll Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Bumble-Ardy, the story of a family of pigs, is Maurice Sendak's final picture book, published last year
© Maurice Sendak 2011