Set design
Design
ca.1960-1970 (made)
ca.1960-1970 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Working drawing for the set design for an apparently unrealised production of Diary of a Madman by Nikolai Gogol, created by Leslie Hurry, ca.1960-70.
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.
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
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Set design (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Ink and watercolour wash on thin paper. |
Brief description | Working drawing for the set design for an apparently unrealised production of Diary of a Madman by Nikolai Gogol, created by Leslie Hurry, ca.1960-70 |
Physical description | Working drawing for the set design for an apparently unrealised production of Diary of a Madman by Nikolai Gogol. The design is executed in ink and watercolour. The image shows a sparsely furnished room, with a single metal bedstead at the centre. The floor is bare, and sheets of paper are scattered across the floor. A small grill has been set into the top part of the wall at the rear of the room. The background is covered with a dark watercolour wash in tones of black, yellow and grey. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions |
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Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
Literary reference | Diary of a Madman |
Summary | Working drawing for the set design for an apparently unrealised production of Diary of a Madman by Nikolai Gogol, created by Leslie Hurry, ca.1960-70. 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.2410-2014 |
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Record created | December 8, 2014 |
Record URL |
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