Wednesday, 18 July 2012

The beginning...

In October 2011 I took on the mamouth task of organising my father's archive - all his work from pre-Python days, as a cartoonist, photojournalist & assistnat editor for Help! magazine, through all his original artwork and cut-outs for Python animation, posters, logos and generally everything Python, to his storyboards, designs and sketches for his feature films and other non-film related projects (including his opera of "Faust" and that infamous Nike commercial).  Why!? Because I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by my father's amazing work all my life and I think it should be seen by everyone so I am organising the archive so it can eventually be put in a book and an exhibition.  Along the (dusty) way I have uncovered absolute gems.  I have set up this blog to share my journey and some of the "gems" I find along the way... Enjoy.
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26 comments:

  1. lissiedFriday, July 20, 2012

    Can I spread the word about your blog? It is so great great that you are sharing these hidden treasures.

    I took the toddler I nanny to the Persol display last year and your brilliant Brazil display won your father a now almost three year old fan.

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    1. HDGFriday, July 20, 2012

      Please do spread the word - the more followers the better. I'm on twitter with it too @hollydubois.

      Lots planned to develop this all further with "fan" participation!

      I'm glad you enjoyed the Persol exhibition - it was great fun curating it. I just opened the 2nd one at MOMI, NYC - not related to dad but actually on "Amelie" and it's well worth seeing...

      Thank you for your support.

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    2. Knix KnoxTuesday, July 24, 2012

      I look forward to contributing in any way possible. At the very least I will spread the work.I unfortunately am unfamiliar with your work,I hope to change that tonight.

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  2. lissiedSaturday, July 21, 2012

    Awesome, thank you! Glad I can do my part Rochelle help.

    I've been aiming to see the second one.

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  3. Mark SahagianMonday, July 23, 2012

    Finally, I am so glad to see this, especially hearing about a book sometime.
    I hereby volunteer to adapt the Defective Detective into comix ...

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  4. JaysterMonday, July 23, 2012

    Wow - So glad i found this. I'll have to thank whoever I snagged it from. What a brilliant project to be involved with. Hope all's well.

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  5. Knix KnoxTuesday, July 24, 2012

    I cannot hold back the excitement I feel seeing these old works,taped, etc, with all the exceptional beauty of the original ideas. Thank you for undermining your fathers work,every time I see a new one I am a boy again,running down the sfairs to unknown joys. Sincere Thanks to you,and best to u & yours. Jonathan Kincaid Dearborn

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  6. DMcCunneyTuesday, July 24, 2012

    Holly, thank you for doing this. As a fan of Monty Python, and of your father's work in general, I'm delighted to see this curation in progress. I've always been fascinated by the creative process of artists, and how things progress from ideas to finished works. Writer's first drafts and artist's quick sketches on napkins are equally fertile sources.

    At some point, if you will, consider talking about what it was like growing up in the midst of this. There must have been more than a few magical moments.

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  7. UnknownTuesday, July 24, 2012

    This is Officially the first blog I've ever followed.
    Thank you Holly for undertaking this amazing task.

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  8. t'suWednesday, July 25, 2012

    Love this. Followed your dad's work from the Python days. Thank you!

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  9. Ineffable Celestial EmpressWednesday, July 25, 2012

    Thank you for taking the time out to do this! Your father was a big inspiration and it's wonderful to see what your finding. Thanks again :)

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  10. persona fóssilThursday, July 26, 2012

    God, I love you and your father. Thank you so much!

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  11. UnknownFriday, July 27, 2012

    amazing amazing undertaking! THANK YOU SO MUCH. but could you please please please please move this entire project over to TUMBLR - it is a much better platform than daggy old blogger!! plus you will get a LOT better following and attention! trust me- contact Tumblr and get them involved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  12. Geoff Callahan, PIFriday, July 27, 2012

    God bless you! This is fantastic.

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  13. MrSeanLaneFriday, July 27, 2012

    I can't wait for the book version! Tracking down Gilliam art work in print form outside of the common Animations of Mortality and Dark Knights and Holy Fools is a very difficult task.

    Finding a copy of the Cocktail People took years of searching. He has multiple strips in one off magazines I can never find (Car Toons). As I recall so far the best resource for lost or obscure Gilliam work is just the republished stuff in the pages of his lengthy Comics Journal interview in the 90s.

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  14. Paste EaterFriday, July 27, 2012

    This is truly a dream come true! I will definitely spread the word, and I eagerly await for more treasure to be revealed!

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  15. meyouseekFriday, July 27, 2012

    Such a treasure trove of fun stuff! I can't wait to see what you dig up. Thanks for letting us in!

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  16. KeithHandySaturday, July 28, 2012

    I've just subscribed to this. Very excited to see your findings, and hope to see it in book form in the future!

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  17. Sleazy MartinezMonday, July 30, 2012

    This is a great idea, thanks for sharing all this with us. I'm so pleased to see how much stuff has survived!

    It's always good for someone with a bit of perspective to delve into personal archives as the artist himself may not appreciate how amazing some of the material is... And it seems like there's a lot of people here who are keen to help out with the preservation. Spiny Norman knows his stuff.

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  18. Daniel McGuireMonday, July 30, 2012

    Please put a facebook follow button on this page, and a twiter feed. Easier to follow.

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  19. FernandosauroMonday, July 30, 2012

    Thank you very much. I'm a Python fan and, of course, a Terry Guilliam fan, from São Paulo, Brazil! Now I'm your fan!

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  20. LauraMonday, August 06, 2012

    Hi Holly - this sounds like a very exciting project - how lovely! As a museum type person, I think I should recommend that you invest in some acid free storage for the pieces as you sort them - I can see that they've been stored in wooden drawers and plastic containers and this can increase the speed at which they degrade (and I'm sure some of them are already very fragile)! If you aren't already doing this and would like some advice, I suggest contacting the British Library - or I could put you in touch with someone local. You can mail me at misslaurahilton (at) yahoo.co.uk.

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  21. Associate WriterWednesday, August 08, 2012

    So RAD! I think you should put scan them all and then bury them.

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  22. tenthouFriday, October 19, 2012

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  23. Capt. ZeepFriday, April 25, 2014

    Thank you for sharing this stuff!

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