OK, the Walt and Space book project will have to wait for a while. I have to put it on the back burner for some time (but I won't abandon it). There is a good reason for this, though: Chronicle Books and Disney have approved last week an ambitious project of 5 art books about Disney concept art and Disney concept artists from the 1930s to the 1990s.
The first volume, on which I am currently working, will focus on the art and career of Albert Hurter, Ferdinand Horvath, Gustaf Tenggren, Kay Nielsen, Bianca Majoli and David Hall.
The challenge, of course, is to manage to build on the astounding work already done by John Canemaker in his seminal book Before the Animation Begins.
I have already reached out by email to some of you, but if I haven't and if you have rare documents linked to any of those 6 artists, could you please, please contact me ASAP at didier.ghez@gmail.com? Thanks a million in advance!
This is, easily, some of the most exciting animation art information I've read! There aren't too many better suited than you, Didier! I only wish it could be one book each, for each artist!
ReplyDeleteIt would be great if your planned concept art books would feature images that haven't been printed before in either John Canemaker's books nor in any of the great Walt Disney Archives books. I personally like conceptual artwork - especially Disney-related one - pretty much, but I won't buy publications that feature a whole bunch of visual stuff that my private library already contains. So I hope you'll dig deep into the Walt Disney Animation Research Library and give us real rare gems of animation history... perhaps even stuff long forgotten or considered lost.
ReplyDeleteCan you give us an idea when the first book might be released?
Denis,
ReplyDeleteThe idea is to include at least 80% of art that has not been seen before. The first volume should be released in the Fall of 2015.
Awesome news, Didier!!! Thank you ever so much for this information :)
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