This December, Animazing Gallery of SoHo will will exhibit the largest collection of paintings, sculpture and drawings by Brian, Wendy & Toby Froud in history. The Artists are best selling authors, artists, conceptualists, sculptures and icons of modern fantasy. The family will unveil more than 100 published pieces, including paintings, conceptuals and the "lost" character designs for Jim Henson's cult-classic film, Labyrinth. The sale and exhibition is free and open to the public daily from December 3rd, 2011 through February 12th, 2012.
The Frouds will be guests of honor at a champagne reception to benefit the
Jim Henson Foundation on Thursday, December 1st, from 6:00-9:00PM. Cheryl & Jane Henson will attend from the
Jim Henson Foundation. Brian will be presented with a lifetime achievement award on behalf of the New York Society of Illustrator's Museum. RSVP requested for Saturday. The gallery is located at 54 Greene Street (at Broome) in SoHo. For more information visit www.animazing.com or call 212-226-7374.
Brian & Wendy redefined the image of Faeries in the 21st century by abandoning the traditional view of faeries as angelic, victorian creatures. They created alternatives who were multi-dimensional and sinister. They have made historical contributions to Fantasy fine art and film, most notably through their designs for The Dark Crystal (1982, Directed by
Jim Henson &
Frank Oz) & Labyrinth (1986, Directed by
Jim Henson). Wendy also worked on
George Lucas' Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and fabricated the Yoda figure. The Frouds' work permanently raised the bar for visual effects in film and television, establishing new standards for puppeteering, costume and character design, and animatronics.
"You cannot walk away from a concept drawing and expect it to be impressive on film. My function is to allow the idea of live, changing my design to make the technical problems work for you, not against you. I always try to keep the soul of the creature intact and evident as it shifts through various mechanical and technical processes." - Brian Froud, The Goblins of Labyrinth, 2006
The SoHo exhibition, entitled, THE FROUDS: VISIONS FOR FILM & FAERIE , is largely comprised of original material from Brian's published Faerie books (How to See Faeries*, Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book** Good Faeries/Bad Faeries***) and a collection of conceptual renderings for Labyrinth, once lost for over 20 years. These never-before seen character designs include sketches of
David Bowie as The Goblin King. Additional diverse works make this exhibition a true retrospective. The paintings and drawings vary in size, from 8 x 10" to 16 x 24", and range from $1100 to $16,000 framed.
This show will be the first collaboration with Wendy and Toby; both renowned as doll and puppet-makers. Wendy, the creator of the Yoda puppet from Star Wars, creatures in Labyrinth (such as the Junk Lady and many goblins), and Kira & Jen from The Dark Crystal, has recreated the Gelfling Kira for this exhibition, using some of the original hair and beading used on the puppet in the film. The fully armatured sculpture stands 33" tall, and is priced at $8,900.
ANIMAZING GALLERY | Since 1984, Animazing Gallery has showcased a unique collection of original and limited edition art and sculpture. For more information about Animazing in New York or France visit animazing.com.
