Multi award-winning set and costume designer John Napier brings theatre and art together in a new exhibition at the Towner.
The multi award-winning set and costume designer John Napier is to present his first major exhibition Stages at the Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne in November 2015.
Napier’s innovation and distinctive designs are responsible for some of the most iconic theatre productions: the horses in Equus; the barricades in Les Misérables; the helicopter in Miss Saigon; the outsize junkyard in Cats; and of course Starlight Express.
Stages encompasses these theatre achievements alongside Napier’s artworks. The collection includes costume designs, 3-dimensional pieces based on his theatre work, and sculptures which have been created in parallel with his career.
Napier, who studied fine art at the Hornsey College of Art in the 1960’s, has had a lifelong passion for art and creativity. He studied under the influential designer Ralph Koltai at Central School and his career led him to create sets and costume designs for some of the longest running shows in London’s West End and on Broadway.
Napier is an Associate Designer at the Royal Shakespeare Company and notable productions for them have included Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors, King Lear, Once in a Lifetime, The Greeks, Nicholas Nickleby, Hedda Gabler, Peter Pan and Mother Courage.
He has worked on multiple productions for the Royal National Theatre such as The Party (Olivier’s last performance at the Old Vic), Equus, Trelawny of the ‘Wells’, An Enemy of the People, Peter Pan, Candide, and South Pacific.
Napier has designed for opera including Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera and the New York Metropolitan Opera. He also designed the Captain EO video starring Michael Jackson for Disney, created and co-directed the spectacular Siegfried & Roy Show at the Mirage in Las Vegas, followed by Steven Spielberg’s film Hook.
Napier said; “The pleasure I felt when designing for the stage was mixed with an irresistible desire to make pieces of my own. For most of my life, I have been inextricably linked with the theatre. It has inevitably become an indelible part of my imagination, and subconsciously the key inspiration for many of my other pieces. A number of these were, of course, made decades ago, but part of the collection has only just emerged. All the creations on display have been produced with the same level of invention and energy that led to the origination of some of my most celebrated work. Each item holds a natural individual authority, however, when combined together, they display the specific nature of my passion to devise a gallery show that creates a bridge between art and the stage.”
John Napier’s design awards include four Oliviers from nine nominations, a BAFTA, and five Tony Awards for Nicholas Nickleby, Cats, Starlight Express, Les Misérables, and Sunset Boulevard. Napier is a member of the American Academy of Achievement, was elected Royal Designer for Industry in 1996 and is an Honorary Fellow of the London Institute.
Event: John Napier: Stages Beyond the Fourth Wall
Where: Towner Art Gallery, Devonshire Park, College Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4JJ
When: November 29, 2015 – January 30, 2016
Times: Open Tuesday – Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays 10am – 6pm
Tickets: £5, £3.50 concession
To book tickets online, click here:
Or telephone: 01323 434670
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