Storyboard from Tim Burton’s 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. Courtesy Tim Burton/TIFF Bell Lightbox.
The much-anticipated Tim Burton Exhibition and Retrospective opens this week at TIFF Bell Lightbox. The blockbuster exhibition, organized by The Museum of Modern Art in New York, will showcase hundreds of Burton’s artworks, and an on-screen cinematic oeuvre will give a unique peek inside the mind of one of the most influential artists of our time.
The exhibition, simply titled Tim Burton, celebrates its official opening November 26 with the “Burton Blitz”, a weekend-long marathon of back-to-back film screenings that Burton produced and directed, or was highly inspired by. Follow the evolution of one of the most creative visionaries of modern movies with classics like Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and Alice in Wonderland (2010), to Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922) and 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963).
“We are absolutely delighted to bring this extraordinary exhibition to Canada,” said Piers Handling, CEO and Director, TIFF. “This is the first MoMA show to come to Toronto in over 20 years and we look forward to continued partnership with them, as well as cultural organizations around the world to present such exciting world-class exhibitions in Canada.”
This major exhibition explores Burton’s creative vision and his artistic development from early significant drawings he made as a teenager to sophisticated renderings used to create effects for his most adored recent films. Delving deep into Burton’s visual imagination, the exhibition brings together more than 700 items including paintings, drawings, puppets, costumes, storyboards, and maquettes drawn from Burton’s personal vault, studio archives, and private collections.
“Tim Burton’s visual style is unquestionably unique, loved by millions of fans, and has been highly influential in multiple creative spheres. When we first heard of the show, we were convinced it was the perfect marriage of film and the visual arts and the perfect way to bring new audiences into our major exhibitions space,” said Noah Cowan, Artistic Director, TIFF Bell Lightbox. “TIFF Bell Lightbox will offer even more, supplementing this incredible exhibition with a significant companion film programme and innovative family activities offering audiences a unique opportunity to connect with Burton’s creative process.”
In addition, the exhibition includes seven new sculptural commissions created for The Museum of Modern Art. Burton will also contribute a major original commission to the exhibition, transforming the King Street windows of TIFF Bell Lightbox into a seasonally-changing window display beginning with a Christmas theme.
Special programming will include several weekend drop-in and registered workshops for families and youth and in-person events. Both the film programme and the exhibition will offer audiences of all ages a chance to see the influences that helped shape this extraordinary filmmaker.
An extensive film retrospective spanning Burton’s 27-year career, including his early shorts and a related series of films that influenced, inspired, and intrigued him as a filmmaker, will run parallel to the exhibition. A week-long run of Burton’s most iconic film, Edward Scissorhands, will open the retrospective, followed by a holiday engagement of The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Tim Burton runs until April 17, 2011. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit tiff.net/timburton.
