By Kelly Toomey-
An exciting new exhibition is to open in Edinburgh, providing insight into the work of an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and special effects creator.
Works from the special effects legend’s movies, including Mighty Joe Young (1949), Jason And The Argonauts (1963) and Clash Of The Titans (1981), are already on show at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
The exhibition, titled Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema, was originally due to run from May-October this year until the coronavirus pandemic led to it being rescheduled. The event is now open, and is getting an extended run until September 2021 at the “Modern Two” gallery complex.
Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema opens at the Modern Two, in the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, on Saturday to celebrate the stop motion animation expert’s creations from the 1950s to the 1980s.
The exhibition is in collaboration with the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation to celebrate what would have been the artist’s 100th birthday year.
His wife Diana was also the great-great-granddaughter of Scottish explorer David Livingstone.
Vanessa Harryhausen, their daughter and trustee of the foundation, said: “Our plans to celebrate Dad’s centenary at the National Galleries in Edinburgh are so exciting.
Harryhausen retired after his last film, Clash Of The Titans, in 1981 and died in 2013 at the age of 92.
Simon Groom, director of modern and contemporary art at the National Galleries, said: “Ray Harryhausen’s creative vision, and ability to realise scenes of enduring dramatic and imaginative power, are as relevant now as they have ever been.
“His creative vision, and ability to realise scenes of enduring dramatic and imaginative power, are as relevant now as they have ever been.
“The exhibition promises to transport all visitors, young and old, into the amazing world of one of the greatest innovators of special effects in the history of cinema.” The exhibition promises to transport all visitors, young and old, into the amazing world of one of the greatest innovators of special effects in the history of cinema.”
Image: Collection Christophel / Alamy Stock Photo