Lunchtime Lecture: Ivan Kyncl: In the Minute

After arriving in the UK as a political refugee in 1980, Ivan Kyncl’s (1953-2004) career saw him photograph over 500 plays, operas and musicals. Senior Curator Simon Sladen introduces the display which celebrates Kyncl’s ability to capture the very essence, atmosphere and emotion of a theatrical production through his unique “in the minute” approach.

Rather than taking static shots from the auditorium during the press call, Kyncl embraced new perspectives as he was permitted to roam both the stage and theatre. His impressive career encompassed productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Royal Court and Almeida with the display featuring photographs from 60 diverse productions across the UK: one for every second in the minute. The V&A acquired his theatrical photographic collection in 2018, which contains over a million images and is one of the richest chronicles of the British stage in the late 20th Century.

Visit our SoundCloud channel to listen to past Lunchtime Lectures: soundcloud.com/vamuseum/sets/v-a-lunchtime-lecture-series