Leslie George Hurry (10 February 1909– 20 November 1978) was a British artist and set designer for

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

Biography

Hurry was born in London, where his father, A. G. Hurry, was a

funeral director A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as ...

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

. Leslie Hurray was educated at

Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School Haberdashers' Boys' School (also known as Haberdashers', Habs, or Habs Boys), until September 2021 known as Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, is a Independent school (United Kingdom), public school for pupils age 4 to 18 in Elstree, Hertfo ...

before, resisting pressure to join the family business, he attended St. John's Wood Art School and the

Royal Academy Schools The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...

. Leaving the Royal Academy School of Painting in 1931, before the completion of his five-year scholarship, his first commission was from a brewing firm to decorate a chain of saloon bars with landscape

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

In the second half of the 1930s he wandered Britain and Ireland painting landscapes. Depressed with his work and seeking inspiration to develop a personal style, he moved to

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

then

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, but was forced to return to Britain due to health problems. In 1939, found unfit for military service and disturbed by the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, he isolated himself in his secluded cottage at untings,_Hundon,[Suffolk_At_this_time_he_was_befriended_by_ untings,_Hundon,[Suffolk_At_this_time_he_was_befriended_by_Grace_Sholto_Douglas">uffolk.html"_;"title="untings,_Hundon,[Suffolk">untings,_Hundon,[Suffolk_At_this_time_he_was_befriended_by_Grace_Sholto_Douglas,_an_elderly_patron_of_arts_who_died_in_1942._In_1940–41_he_produced_two_books_of_intricate_Surrealist_automatism#Automatic_drawing_and_painting.html" ;"title="Grace_Sholto_Douglas.html" ;"title="uffolk.html" ;"title="untings, Hundon,[Suffolk">untings, Hundon,[Suffolk At this time he was befriended by Grace Sholto Douglas">uffolk.html" ;"title="untings, Hundon,[Suffolk">untings, Hundon,[Suffolk At this time he was befriended by Grace Sholto Douglas, an elderly patron of arts who died in 1942. In 1940–41 he produced two books of intricate Surrealist automatism#Automatic drawing and painting">automatic drawings that were exhibited at the Redfern Gallery, leading to his acclaim as an "ultra-surrealism, surrealist". His first stage work was for a production of Hamlet for the Sadler's Wells Theatre, Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1942, work commissioned by

Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann CBE ( Helpman, 9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet ( ...

, who had seen his paintings in a London gallery. He subsequently worked for Sadler's Wells, the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

Glyndebourne Glyndebourne () is an English country house, the site of an opera house that, since 1934, has been the venue for the annual Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The house, located near Lewes in East Sussex, England, is thought to be about six hun ...

, the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...

, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the theatre in Canada, particularly in Stratford,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. He left a large corpus of paintings, including abstract, portraiture and landscape works.

References

*"Hurry, Leslie George (1909–1978)", Raymond Ingram, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004 *Obituary, ''The Times'', Friday, Nov 24, 1978; p. 16 *Obituary by Jack Lindsay, ''The Times'', Monday, Nov 27, 1978; p. 14
Leslie Hurry

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

biography

External links

Leslie Hurry costume designs, 1966
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

W.H. Crain Costume and Scene Design Collection
at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pur ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurry, Leslie 1909 births 1978 deaths 20th-century English painters English male painters Alumni of St John's Wood Art School Artists from London British scenic designers Opera designers People educated at Haberdashers' Boys' School 20th-century English male artists