This December, Animazing Gallery will be presenting the first U.S. exhibition of Brian Froud's paintings and drawings, including original artworks from his published, international best-selling books and all of his concept drawings from Jim Henson's film Labyrinth. The exhibition will be open to the public daily. Animazing Gallery is located at 54 Greene Street (at Broome) in SoHo. For more information: 212-226-7374 or visit www.animazing.com.
Brian Froud is regarded as the pre-eminent fairy artist of today and has redefined the image of Faeries in the 21st century. Froud is part of a long lineage of faerie painters and illustrators including Arthur Rackham, Richard Dadd,
Walter Crane and Edmund Dulac and his work has hung alongside these exceptional artists - the greats of the genre - in museum exhibitions throughout the U.K. Froud's imagery; sensual, humorous and at times frightening, has rescued fairies from the Victorian nursery, to which they were relegated for so many years, and returned them to the dark, elusive and mysterious world of Faerie where they belong.
In November, 1998, Sotheby's "Realm of the Mind: Fantasy Art and Illustration" featured the work of such artists as; Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Bell Scott,
Richard Doyle, John Anster Fitzgerald,
Walter Crane, Simeon Solomon and George Cruikshank. Brian Froud's painting from Good Faeries/Bad Faeries was chosen for the auction catalogue cover.
With over 30 books in publication and over 8 million books sold to date, Brian Froud's best sellers include Good Faeries/Bad Faeries (Hugo and Chesley Awards), Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book (Hugo Award), the Faeries' Oracle and Lady Cottington's Fairy Album. His international best-selling book,Faeries with fantasy and Tolkien illustrator
Alan Lee, published in 1978 and reissued in 2002 and again in 2010, is considered a modern classic and has sold more than 3 million copies.
Brian Froud has influenced a whole new generation of magical painters, book illustrators and filmmakers. Froud's landmark work with
Jim Henson as conceptual designer on feature films The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1987), set new standards for design, puppeteering and animatronics in film and are, today, considered landmarks in the evolution of modern day special effects. Both films have achieved an international cult following.
The Animazing Gallery, NY exhibition entitled, BRIAN FROUD: VISIONS FOR FILM & FAERIE, will be comprised of original paintings of creatures from
Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal, concept drawings from
Jim Henson's Labyrinth and original material from the published Faerie books: How to See Faeries, Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book and Good Faeries/Bad Faeries.
BRIAN FROUD: VISIONS FOR FILM & FAERIE will be in collaboration with a site-specific installation by Wendy Froud and their son, Toby Froud; both renowned doll and puppet-makers. Toby was the baby "Toby" in Labyrinth and is presently a puppet fabricator and sculptor at Laika Entertainment, the celebrated studio specializing in stop motion/animation film and television.
Wendy is the fabricator of "Yoda" from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. She sculpted and fabricated "Kira" & "Jen" from The Dark Crystal as well as some of the Pod People, and sculpted and fabricated some of the goblins in Labyrinth. For this inaugural exhibition, Wendy Froud has recreated the Gelfling, Kira from The Dark Crystal. Kira stands 33" tall, and was sculpted using original hair and beading from original The Dark Crystal production.
Complete List of Events
Sunday, November 20th, 6:50PM
Brooklyn Academy Of Music Screening of The Dark Crystal
Brian & Wendy Froud to introduce the film
Thursday, December 1st, 6:00-9:00PM
Opening Night Benefit & Silent Auction to support The
Jim Henson Foundation*
Champagne Reception and Press Conference
Cheryl Henson Brian, Wendy & Toby Froud will be Guests of Honor
Animazing Gallery in SoHo
Friday, December 2nd, 6:30-9:30PM
New York
Society of Illustrators Museum of American Illustration
Brian, Wendy & Toby Froud to speak with Heidi Leigh as moderator
Book Signing & Reception to follow
Saturday, December 3rd, 3:00-6:00PM
Book, Limited Edition Posters and Catalogue Signing
Brian, Wendy & Toby Froud
*portion of proceeds to support The
Jim Henson Foundation
Free and open to the Public
Animazing Gallery in SoHo
Sunday, Dec 4th, 7PM
Museum of the Moving Image
Screening of Labyrinth
Brian & Wendy Froud and
Brian Henson to introduce the film
