{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O562284"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O562284/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2023NL2236/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2023NL2236/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2023NL2236","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O562284","accessionNumber":"E.5317-1960","objectType":"Costume design","titles":[{"title":"Costume design for Kent in 'King Lear'","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Costume design by Isamu Noguchi for Anthony Nicholls as Kent in William Shakespeare's play <i>King Lear</i>, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, Palace Theatre, London, and European Tour, 1955.\n\nJapanese-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 <i>King Lear</i> 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.'\n\nInstead 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. ","physicalDescription":"Cut out card figure attached to a metal wire strut; a male figure with grey hair and beard, wearing grey leggings and a dark brown latticework shirt with beige ruched sleeves, with a lighter brown latticework jerkin overlaid. The figure is stuck to an annotated sheet of paper.\n","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Isamu Noguchi","id":"A22190"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"card","id":"x30344"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Card collage with pencil, watercolour and wire, mounted on paper","categories":[{"text":"Designs","id":"THES48968"},{"text":"Theatre","id":"THES250537"},{"text":"Costumes","id":"THES269529"},{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2023NL2236"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLC","id":"THES49171"},"free":"","case":"MB2A","shelf":"DR82","box":"LOANS"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"costume design","id":"AAT163423"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"No","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"New York","id":"x29030"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1955","earliest":"1950-01-01","latest":"1959-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"15.24","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"sheet","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"6.35","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"sheet","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Taken from <u>Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1960 and 1961</u> London: HMSO 1964","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Anthony Nicholls'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"The original mount (preserved with the design) bears descriptive notes and is inscribed in pencil"},{"content":"'9086-1'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Numbered in ink"},{"content":"1. Kent\r\nfull costume - basic & jerkin, sleeves, armour, cloak (N), hat, long beard.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"typewritten note pasted to mount"},{"content":"removal beard + hat + sleve[sic] also and upper covering","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"in pencil"},{"content":"long metal\r\nshort metal","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"in pencil"}],"objectHistory":"The design was created by Isamu Noguchi for the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company's 1955 touring production of Shakespeare's <i>King Lear.</i> 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.\r\n\nThe costumes were made by Carl Bonn and Colin Mackenzie.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Costume design by Isamu Noguchi for Anthony Nicholls as Kent in <i>King Lear</i>, 1955","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<u>Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1960 and 1961 </u> London: HMSO, 1964"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"costume design","id":"AAT163423"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["E.5317-1960"],"accessionNumberNum":"5317","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":1960,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-02-05","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-30","availableToBook":false}}