London born, British-Canadian set and costume designer

Mark Negin worked in theatres across Canada, the USA and the UK.
It was after moving to Ramsgate in 1988 that Mark, encouraged by by art collector Marton Braun and John Harthan former Keeper of the V&A Library, author of The History of the Illustrated Book, developed his use of gold leaf on raised gesso to illuminate works on vellum and paper.Much of this work relates to Jewish religious objects most notably the Megillath Esther or Scroll of The Book of Esther, displayed in the 2007 British Library exhibition SACRED. It was also in Ramsgate that Mark began painting murals, especially the Royal Armorials on the south wall of Holy Trinity Church Ramsgate, celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Prayer Boards ay the Thanet & District Reform Synagogue.

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Biography

Louis (Mark) Negin was born in London on the 16 March 1932, the elder son of Nathan Negin, a Master Tailor and Miriam (nee Freedman). His grandfather was a founder of the synagogue in Dean Street, now the Soho Theatre and Writers Centre. After evacuation to Gamlingay. Beds and Hutton, Essex he was sent to Aryeh House, a Prep school, evacuated to Wales for the war years and after matriculation in the University of London attended the Theatre design section o Willesden School of Arts and Crafts. Due to his step-father’s fraud and bankruptcy the family fled England, first for Israel where he attended classes at the Bezalel School of art and then for Canada.It was as Louis that he joined John Hirsch and Tom Hendry as the designer in creating ‘The Muddiwater Puppets’ touring local schools and community centres. From this small seed, working with the amateur Little Theatre, was created the Manitoba Theatre Centre, the first regional repertory theatre in North America. Louis joined Tyrone Guthrie’s Stratford Shakespearean Festival in 1955 to make props for Marlowe’s‘ Tamburlaine the Great’, directed by Gurheie, designed by Lesley Hurrey with Anthony Quayle and Coral Browne to open on Broadway the following year. Mark’s Canadian actor cousin, Louis Negin, older and with an established name, was a member of the cast: to distinguish the cousins the future designer became Mark. Whilst continuing to work at the Stratford Festival, off season gaining design experience at Brae Manor Playhouse, Quebec and the London Little Theatre, London Ontario. In 1957 Mark was awarded the Guthrie Award which took him to Paris to study at what was then called L’ecole de la rue Blanche; he then went to London to work in the Model Room of the Royal Opera House. He returned to Canada’s Stratford Shakespeare Festival as Head of the Properties Department and then to design The Canvas Barricade on the Stratford stage. He was later to design for major companies across Canada including, The Manitoba Theatre Centre, Le Theatre du Nouveau Monde, St Lawrence Arts Centre, The National Ballet of Canada, L’Opera du Quebec and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.With his knowledge of French he joined the staff of the bilingual National Theatre School of Canada -Ecole Nationale de theatre du Canada. The theatre school, founded in 1960 under the guidance of Michel St Denis to train actors and technicians of both official languages of Canada. Its design section opened in 1961.With knowledge of French and the French Theatre Mark became the anglophone founder, with francophone designer Robert Prevost. The school remains Canada’s primary theatre school with former design students working both nationally and internationally.CEGEP Lional Groulx, Ste Therese, Quebec. A Francophone Quebec Junior College, with a professional theatre section. The design section was established by Renee Noiseaux-Gurik, former student of the design section of the National theatre School Canada, with emphasis on the technical aspects of production.It was Renee Gurik who invited Mark to join the teaching staff. The college has produced such designers as Claide Goyette and continues to train technicians for productions like ‘Le cirque du soleil’.Later at Central School of Arts and Design, Southampton Row, London Mark was a Project supervisor.In 1965, at the invitation of William Ball for whom he had designed ‘The ‘Yeomen of the Guard’ at Stratford, Mark left for Pittsburgh to design the first season of the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) now in San Francisco. Later Mark was to work again in the States, at Long Warf theatre, New Haven, Connecticut and at the Pittsburgh Public theatre.It was In 1970 that Mark was invited to design costumes for ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at London’s Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park. He returned to Winnipeg to design John Hirsch’s ‘The Dybbuk’at the MTC for its North American tour before returning to England permanently in 1974. Based in London, Mark designed for most of the major regional companies of the UK including Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum and Wales’s Theatre Clwyd. His costumes were seen in Scottish Opera’s ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and in Shaw’s ‘You never can tell’ at the Royal opening of the restored Lyric Hammersmith in 1979. His costumes were also seen in Lindsay Anderson’s ‘The Cherry Orchard’ at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Mark continued to work in North America. As a Centennial gift to the Metropolitan Opera the National Arts Centre of Canada produced Handel’s Rinaldo with Marilyn Horne as Rinaldo. Mark designed the sets and costumes. He transferred to New York from Ottawain1983.In 1988 Mark moved to Ramsgate where he began artwork inspired by his Anglo-Jewish roots. Much work was commissioned by art collector Marton Braun. His gilded illumination on vellum of ‘The Megillah’ or The Scroll of the Book of Esther’ was seen in the British Library’s 2007 exhibition ‘SACRED’. Mark also began painting murals including the Royal Coat of Arms for Holy Trinity church, Ramsgate, to celebrate Elizabeth II’s golden Jubilee. The triptych formerly in the waiting room of the East Cliff practice of the Montefiore Medical Centre and Prayer boards at the local Reform synagogue are by him. Mark’s involvement in communal affairs started when he helped found ERA, the East Cliff Residents’ Association. He worked to protect the Listed II* Montefiore synagogue and to establish the RMH, Ramsgate Montefiore Heritage.Mark is a founder member of The Friends of the Montefiore Woodland. He became Keeper of the synagogue for several years before retirement.

SEE MARK'S THEATRE WORKS

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SEE MARK'S KENT MURALS

Kent Murals

Royal Coat of Arms

Holy Trinity Church, Ramsgate. Royal Coat of Arms, over South door, to celibate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Acrylic and 23ct gold leaf on oak.

Prayer Boards of the Decalogue and Prayer for The Royal Family.

Thanet & District Reform Synagogue, Ramsgate. Prayer Boards of the Decalogue and Prayer for The Royal Family. In memory of Joe Barnett, Mayor of Ramsgate 1961-63.

Acrylic and 23ct gold leaf on Pine.

East Cliff Practice, Montefiore Medical Centre.

Triptych formerly on waiting room wall of East Cliff Practice, Montefiore Medical Centre.

Now in private collection.

1: Montefiore synagogue and mausoleum. Acrylic on plywood.

Acrylic on plywood.

2: Old Ramsgate Hospital.

Acrylic on plywood.

3: East Cliff Lodge.

Acrylic on plywood.

Viking Bay, Broadstairs

In private collection

1: Viking Bay, Broadstairs.

Acrylic on canvas.

2: Viking Bay detail, Mermaid.

Acrylic on canvas.

3: Viking Bay detail, Merman.

Acrylic on canvas.

4: Viking Bay detail: head of Putto.

Acrylic on canvas.

Shatterling Mural

Mural over doorway in farmhouse at Shatterling.

Acrylic on Canvas; 12’2” x 6’7”

Sandwich Mural

Four panels in dining room of house in Knightrider Street, Sandwich.Each depicts fruit, flowers, vegetables with gardening tools appropriate to the season arranged as a trophy.

Acrylic on plywood; 2’6” x 4’5”

1: Spring: Rabbit

2: Summer: Salmon

3: Autumn: Quail

4: Winter: Goose

Design for Windows of the Grade II listed Churchill Tavern, Paragon, Ramsgate

Design in India ink, watercolour on paper.Collection of Churchill House School of English Language, Spencer Square, Ramsgate.

GILDING & JUDAICA WORKS

Gilding and Judaica

The Kabbalah Tree of Life

Collection of Rabbi Dr Goldstein

The Book of Esther (on scroll)

The Scroll of the Book of Esther, commissioned by Marton Braun, exhibited in SACRED, the British Library Exhibition, 2007. Zodiac signs are embodied in the illustrations.

Mark Negin is the Illustrator not the scribe.

Watercolour, 22ct gold leaf on gesso on vellum: This scroll is 22cm x 2cm x 566cm. Collection Marton Braun.