Yvonne Blake - Costume Design for the Film “Goya: A Story of Solitude”
Costume sketch for a character from the film *Goya, Historia de una soledad*, directed by Nino Quevedo and released in 1971, starring Francisco Rabal, Irina Demick, Jacques Perrim, José María Prada, and others.
Handwritten inscription by the artist in the upper right corner: “Goya (in Studio 1) / Self-portrait of Villagonzalo.” Other inscriptions throughout the design: “... gold tapestry”; “red appliqué”; “jacket / brown sample”; the number 2 enclosed in a circle; “reddish stripe” with an arrow pointing to the left; “Make breeches”; “... black / dividing stripe / also on the sides.”; “Eye / Red and gold.” Signed and dated 1970, at the bottom, toward the right.
Blake is remembered as the designer of the Superman costume (directed by Richard Donner, 1978) worn by Christopher Reeve; the filming was plagued by issues related to the fabric and color tones of the fictional hero’s outfit.
She won four Goya Awards in Spain for Best Costume Design for *Remando al viento* (1988), *Canción de cuna* (1994), *Carmen* (2003), and *El puente de San Luis Rey* (2004).
Her film costume designs appeared in movies starring prominent actors and actresses such as Sophia Loren (*The Venus of Anger* in Israel, directed by Daniel Mann, 1966), Liza Minnelli (*Fahrenheit 451*, directed by François Truffaut), Michael Caine and Omar Sharif (The Last Valley, directed by James Clavell), Anthony Hopkins (All Creatures Great and Small), Elizabeth Taylor (An Hour in the Night), Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn (Robin and Marian), Ava Gardner (Harem), Al Pacino (Looking for Richard), not to mention his significant contribution to the musical Jesus Christ Superstar (by Andrew Lloyd Webber).
She collaborated with the prestigious Peris Hermanos fashion house, beginning in the 1960s, on the final production of their designs. With Gonzalo Suárez, she worked on *Remando al viento*, *Don Juan en los infiernos*, *La reina anónima*, and *El detective y la muerte*; with Vicente Aranda, she worked on *Carmen* and *Tirante el Blanco*.
Although she was not an actress, she was the first woman to be awarded the National Film Award in 2012 and served as President of the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AACCE) in 2016. She passed away in Madrid in July 2018.
Costume sketch for a character from the film *Goya, Historia de una soledad*, directed by Nino Quevedo and released in 1971, starring Francisco Rabal, Irina Demick, Jacques Perrim, José María Prada, and others.
Handwritten inscription by the artist in the upper right corner: “Goya (in Studio 1) / Self-portrait of Villagonzalo.” Other inscriptions throughout the design: “... gold tapestry”; “red appliqué”; “jacket / brown sample”; the number 2 enclosed in a circle; “reddish stripe” with an arrow pointing to the left; “Make breeches”; “... black / dividing stripe / also on the sides.”; “Eye / Red and gold.” Signed and dated 1970, at the bottom, toward the right.
Blake is remembered as the designer of the Superman costume (directed by Richard Donner, 1978) worn by Christopher Reeve; the filming was plagued by issues related to the fabric and color tones of the fictional hero’s outfit.
She won four Goya Awards in Spain for Best Costume Design for *Remando al viento* (1988), *Canción de cuna* (1994), *Carmen* (2003), and *El puente de San Luis Rey* (2004).
Her film costume designs appeared in movies starring prominent actors and actresses such as Sophia Loren (*The Venus of Anger* in Israel, directed by Daniel Mann, 1966), Liza Minnelli (*Fahrenheit 451*, directed by François Truffaut), Michael Caine and Omar Sharif (The Last Valley, directed by James Clavell), Anthony Hopkins (All Creatures Great and Small), Elizabeth Taylor (An Hour in the Night), Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn (Robin and Marian), Ava Gardner (Harem), Al Pacino (Looking for Richard), not to mention his significant contribution to the musical Jesus Christ Superstar (by Andrew Lloyd Webber).
She collaborated with the prestigious Peris Hermanos fashion house, beginning in the 1960s, on the final production of their designs. With Gonzalo Suárez, she worked on *Remando al viento*, *Don Juan en los infiernos*, *La reina anónima*, and *El detective y la muerte*; with Vicente Aranda, she worked on *Carmen* and *Tirante el Blanco*.
Although she was not an actress, she was the first woman to be awarded the National Film Award in 2012 and served as President of the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AACCE) in 2016. She passed away in Madrid in July 2018.
