The world’s most famous stop motion animator/director, Ray Harryhausen, is being honored with the largest display of his work at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh Scotland. The exhibit titled “Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema” bills itself as “the largest and widest-rangning exhibition of his work ever seen.”
Originally this exhibition which pays tribute to the master of stop motion animation was delayed due to the pandemic which stretched across the globe. Now the exhibit is opening with displays of his models, armatures, concept art, storyboards, test footage, and his personal work tools. Ray Harryhausens work stretched over 16 feature films such as The Valley of Gwangi, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Mysterious Island, 20 Million Miles to Earth, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Clash of the Titans to just name a few. The exhibit will also feature unreleased works by the stop motion master.
Harryhausen was known to produce his own production technique that he called Dynamation where a rear projection system was placed in front of the camera while he animated puppets between the camera and the projection screen. His work was considered revolutionary and often times he would work by himself animating which save not just on budget but also gave him a creative edge unmatched when these films were produced.
Harryhausen is considered one of the best stop motion animators and visual effects artists in history by some of the biggest names in the film industry such as Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro, James Cameron, and many many artists and animators around the world.
The exhibit will show a whole new light on the career of Harryhausen. By displaying over 50,000 pieces in the very large collection, audience attendees will have a unique and rare look into the magnificent work and art of this animation titan. The “Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema” runs until September 5th, 2021 at the Scottish National Gallery. Ray Harryhausens daughter has also produced a book which accompanies the exhibit and looks at his life’s work.
For more information please visit the Scottish National Gallery’s website at: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/ray-harryhausen-titan-cinema
