Not currently on display at the V&A

Design by Leslie Hurry

Design
ca.1950-1970 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Design by Leslie Hurry for an ornate piece of furniture, used in an unidentified stage production, ca.1950-70.

Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.






Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDesign by Leslie Hurry (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Black ink, gold ink and watercolourdrawing
Brief description
Design by Leslie Hurry for an ornate piece of furniture, to be used in an unidentified stage production, ca.1950-70
Physical description
Set design showing an ornate piece of furniture, for an unidentified production. The design is executed in ink, watercolour and pencil, with highlights in gold, on fine green paper. It shows an piece of furniture, possibly a bookcase or desk. The object is relatively plain and is executed in tones of green and gold.
Dimensions
  • Height: 25.1cm
  • Width: 20.3cm
Credit line
Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone
Summary
Design by Leslie Hurry for an ornate piece of furniture, used in an unidentified stage production, ca.1950-70.

Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.




Collection
Accession number
S.2301-2014

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Record createdNovember 21, 2014
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