Costume design for Cordelia in 'King Lear'
Costume Design
ca. 1955 (made)
ca. 1955 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Costume design by Isamu Noguchi for Anthony Nicholls as Kent in William Shakespeare's play King Lear, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, Palace Theatre, London, and European Tour, 1955.
Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was primarily a sculptor, although he was also known for designing the settings for the dance works of American modern-dance pioneer, Martha Graham. When he was commissioned to design King Lear for the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company in 1955, he had little experience of costume. However, director George Devine and his leading actor, John Gielgud, had been impressed by Noguchi's work for Graham. They believed that he could create appropriate designs for a stylised staging of Shakespeare's play, which, according to the programme note, 'would be free of historical or decorative associations so that the timeless, universal and mythical quality of the story may be clear.'
Instead of painting or sketching his costume designs, Noguchi produced little paper figures. Though subsequently mounted on paper with the makers' notes and instructions added, the figures were designed to stand upright, and the wire strut that supported each one is still attached.
Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was primarily a sculptor, although he was also known for designing the settings for the dance works of American modern-dance pioneer, Martha Graham. When he was commissioned to design King Lear for the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company in 1955, he had little experience of costume. However, director George Devine and his leading actor, John Gielgud, had been impressed by Noguchi's work for Graham. They believed that he could create appropriate designs for a stylised staging of Shakespeare's play, which, according to the programme note, 'would be free of historical or decorative associations so that the timeless, universal and mythical quality of the story may be clear.'
Instead of painting or sketching his costume designs, Noguchi produced little paper figures. Though subsequently mounted on paper with the makers' notes and instructions added, the figures were designed to stand upright, and the wire strut that supported each one is still attached.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Costume design for Cordelia in 'King Lear' (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Card collage with pencil, watercolour and foil, mounted on paper |
| Brief description | Costume designs by Isamu Noguchi for Peggy Ashcroft as Cordelia in King Lear, 1955 |
| Physical description | Two cut-out figures of coloured cards, mounted on paper with descriptive notes. Both figures wear a white dress with criss-crossing pencil lines and thin paper stuck over the bodice. The right-hand figure has a silver belt and wears her hair up in a ponytail. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | The design was created by Isamu Noguchi for the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company's 1955 touring production of Shakespeare's King Lear. The play was directed by George Devine, with John Gielgud as Lear. The production opened in Brighton on 6 June, then visited festivals in Vienna, Zurich, The Hague, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Berlin and Copenhagen, before playing at London's Palace Theatre, 21 July to 17 September. It then went to Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Oslo, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, and finally came to the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon, 29 November to 17 December. The costumes were made by Carl Bonn and Colin Mackenzie. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Costume design by Isamu Noguchi for Anthony Nicholls as Kent in William Shakespeare's play King Lear, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, Palace Theatre, London, and European Tour, 1955. Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was primarily a sculptor, although he was also known for designing the settings for the dance works of American modern-dance pioneer, Martha Graham. When he was commissioned to design King Lear for the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company in 1955, he had little experience of costume. However, director George Devine and his leading actor, John Gielgud, had been impressed by Noguchi's work for Graham. They believed that he could create appropriate designs for a stylised staging of Shakespeare's play, which, according to the programme note, 'would be free of historical or decorative associations so that the timeless, universal and mythical quality of the story may be clear.' Instead of painting or sketching his costume designs, Noguchi produced little paper figures. Though subsequently mounted on paper with the makers' notes and instructions added, the figures were designed to stand upright, and the wire strut that supported each one is still attached. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1960 and 1961 London: HMSO, 1964 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.5320-1960 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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