The Design Museum is set to host The World of Tim Burton, a very exclusive and unique exhibition for the first time which highlights all of the career highlights of director Tim Burton.
This October visitors to the museum in West London will be invited to step inside The World of Tim Burton as you journey through five decades of creativity from his original work all the way up to Tim’s most recent film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice which we recently reviewed.
Over 600 items have been brought together for this exhibition that have been loaned from Tim Burton’s personal archives, key film studio archives and private collections of Burton’s collaborations with many items on public display for the first time in the UK.
It’s not just an art gallery collection, the exhibition will feature props, set designs and even costumes from some of Tim’s most iconic films including Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman costume from 1992’s Batman Returns and the black and white striped dress from 1999’s Sleepy Hollow, worn by Christina Ricci.
This immersive and wonderful exhibition will open on October 25th, 2024 just in time for Halloween and will consist of 18 of Tim’s films individually spotlighted throughout the exhibition.
Be prepared to see a whole host of goodies from Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), and Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory (2005).
This particular exhibition arrives in London after a successful world tour which has visited 14 cities in 11 countries since its debut in 2014 and its arrival in the UK will be the first and only time it’ll be in the country and the very final time the exhibition will be staged.
The exhibition has been adapted, expanded and physically reimagined to be housed within the Design Museum and visitors will be able to take a deeper look at the director’s work by seeing it through a design lens along with 90 new objects added to the exhibition.
Visitors will begin in ‘Suburban Beginnings’, charting Burton’s early artistic endeavours, his studies at college, and his time working as an apprentice animator at Disney. Visitors will then move from the Hollywood suburb to the Hollywood Studio and into ‘Crafting Imagination’, exploring his immense contributions to stop-motion animation and those themes which have influenced his work, like festive holidays and the ‘Carnivalesque’
Building Worlds celebrates thirteen key feature films and the television series Wednesday through the lens of design, while the section ‘Drawing Narratives’ will display a volume of artwork that illustrates Burton’s prolific output as an artist and visual storyteller.
Finally, ‘Beyond Film’ moves from the world of Tim Burton to the universe, exploring projects he has produced outside of cinema, like books and music videos, and designers who have been inspired by the Burtonesque, such as photographer Tim Walker.
Tim Burton says:
It’s a strange thing, to put 50 years of art and your life on view for everyone to see, especially when that was never the original purpose. In the past, I have resisted having the exhibition in London, however, collaborating with the Design Museum for this final stop was the right choice.
They understand the art, and with the opportunity to adapt the show and highlight the way design interacts with the works, I’ve been able to view it all through an exciting new lens.
Maria McLintock, curator of The World of Tim Burton at the Design Museum, says:
For Tim Burton, each film begins with a drawing, that he often returns to over time, almost like old friends. We’re thrilled to be displaying so many of these deeply personal works at the Design Museum this autumn, in the heart of the city he’s called home for over twenty years.
This hugely successful show has delighted audiences across the globe for over a decade, but our Design Museum reimagining, with many new additions and new narratives, means this will be an unprecedented opportunity to be immersed in Tim Burton’s unique and singular vision.
Tim Marlow, Director and CEO of the Design Museum, says:
During his extraordinary career, Tim Burton has harnessed a compelling mixture of gothic horror and black comedy, of melancholy and enchantment, of oddball whimsy and visionary range in the creation of fantastical filmic worlds. Our exhibition will explore his remarkable creative vision, subtly reframed through the lens of design, and give visitors a new perspective on a cinematic master.
To celebrate the exhibition the Design Museum will publish a brand new in-depth book titled Tim Burton: Designing Worlds.
This will be the first publication to explore the relationship between Tim Burton’s cinematic creations and the world of design. Featuring an exclusive new interview
with Burton, essays by Imogen West-Knights and Ryan White, and interviews with collaborators like Colleen Atwood and Mackinnon & Saunders, the book is available for pre-order now.
Find out more at – https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/the-world-of-tim-burton
Adult tickets from £19.69
Children aged 6 to 15 from £9.85
Under 6s go free
Concession/Student tickets from £14.77
The World of Tim Burton is presented in partnership with Harvey Nichols. To celebrate the exhibition and its new partnership with the Design Museum, Harvey Nichols will unveil a Burtonesque Christmas window display later this year. It will feature five unique objects from Tim Burton’s private collection, previously showcased in his exhibitions around the globe.
