Between Books - The Great Crump Presents His Magic

The Great Crump Presents His Magic: The Art of Rolly Crump provides a visual catalog to the Rolly Crump exhibit from the Oceanside Museum of Art in 2017-2018.  The text is short on text and heavy on images.  Other than forewords and two essays, the text is all pictures of Crump's work on glossy pages.  Other than title and  year captions, readers walk through the exhibit in a self-guided tour of Crump's paintings, sculptures and other artistic endeavors.  The concluding essays are offered by artists who reconstructed lost Crump treasures, the Gypsy Wagon and the famed Tower of the Four Winds.

The volume is a visual feast, allowing readers to walk through 60 plus years of Crump's career.  Many of the images will seem familiar to Disney fans, such as toys from it's a small world or Haunted Mansion concepts that are famed for what the Haunted Mansion could have been.  But there is much more including his Doper posters, which gave Walt Disney a chuckle, still lives and small funny sculptures.  Really funny is one of the two themes readers will follow in the catalog as Crump's work consistently shows a quirky whimsical sense of humor.  The other theme that will become obvious is that Crump has a mastery of lettering, which is visually striking and provides clear communication.

The Great Crump Presents His Magic is a visually fun volume which highlights the humorous side of Disney legend Rolly Crump.  A volume lacking words, it is often left to the reader to self examine Crump's work and legacy.  And it is surprising being a visual only book, it is not one that a reader will rush through but take the time to linger and examine.  And for someone who is Between Parks and not able to see the original exhibit, it was a chance to experience a different kind of Disney history and art.