'Footlights' takes centre stage at National Galleries of Scotland

The show must go on, and this August the National Gallery of Scotland will see the curtain go up on a special display. Footlights will examine how artists have captured the fleeting nature of theatrical performances over the centuries.

Included will be works by Toulouse Lautrec, designs for the Russian theatre by Natalya Goncharova, and images of Berlin cabaret by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. On show will be designs for fantastic costume and stage sets, as well as prints and drawings made by celebrated artists capturing a wide variety of spectator orientated events – some artists have even put the audience in the spotlight!

Footlights has been specially organised to coincide with the SIBMAS International Conference, which will be held at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow in August 2008. SIBMAS (the Société Internationale des Bibliothèque et des Musées des Arts du Spectacle) is the international association for museums and libraries of the performing arts. It will be the first time that this prestigious event has been held in Scotland and a visit to see Footlights will be a highlight of the itinerary of the conference delegates. The display will also coincide with the International Festival and Fringe events in Edinburgh.

Footlights offers a glimpse into the world of the performer and reveals how the visual arts can capture momentary events. The works on display have been selected not only from the Prints and Drawings collection at the National Gallery of Scotland, but also from the Scottish Portrait and Modern Art Galleries. The show’s eclectic and lively mix of images should fire the imagination and reflect the spirit of the Edinburgh Festival itself.

Discussing the show, curator Valerie Hunter said “It has been a revelation for me to see just how many artists over the centuries turned to the drama of the stage for inspiration and how much the theatre and its stars have continued to inspire artist’s work right up to today”.

A small related display of photographs focussing on Scottish stars of stage and screen will also be on display in the Weston Link showcases.

FOOTLIGHTS:
Capturing the Essence of Performance
9 August – 16 November 2008
NATIONAL GALLERY COMPLEX, The Mound, Edinburgh
Admission free

For more information, see nationalgalleries.org.