Harryhausen Pledges Life's Work to National Media Museum
On the day of Ray Harryhausen’s 90th birthday, the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation will announce its intention to deposit the Collection of the life’s work of the celebrated special effects animator at the National Media Museum.
The announcement will coincide with the official opening of the exhibition Ray Harryhausen - Myths and Legends at the London Film Museum.
Harryhausen made his name by developing fantastic animated creatures based on legends and classical mythology, and creating a unique body of fantasy films from the 1950s to the 1980s that took the movie making world, and the public, by storm.
His speciality was seamlessly combining stop-motion puppet animation with live action cinematography through his innovative technique of Dynamation. Harryhausen’s films include The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), One Million Years BC (1966), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) and Clash of the Titans (1981).
Examples in the collection include the skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts and the Medusa and the Kraken from Clash of the Titans. It also features rare work by the pioneer special effects designer Willis O’Brien (1886-1962), the creator of King Kong, with whom Harryhausen worked early in his career and who was a major influence.
Ray Harryhausen said: “I am so very pleased and honoured that my Foundation will not only be looking after my collection of 90 years but will also be ensuring that it is seen by as wide an audience as possible. It is also gratifying that the National Media Museum will, in conjunction with the Foundation, be storing and preserving my Collection for the foreseeable future.”
Paul Goodman, Head of Collections and Knowledge at the National Media Museum said: “With our proven expertise in caring for, exhibiting and interpreting such a range of artefacts, the Museum is an ideal place for this extensive and remarkable archive.”
Ray Harryhausen - Myths and Legends is now open at the London Film Museum until June 2011.
Ray Harryhausen and one of his skeleton army.
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