American director, illustrator and author Tim Burton is the creator of many cinematic masterpieces such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and the recent hit tv show Wednesday. The Design Museum celebrates his art in an exhibition detailing his life up to this point; we see how his art, imagination and stop motion skills developed over the years.
The gallery was designed in a way that made it feel like we were stepping straight into one of his movies. Through the rooms, we are gradually taken chronologically through his life as we discover what made him want to be both an animator and film director and how he made this dream a reality. We see sculptures, paintings, sketchbooks and costumes – such as Michelle Pfeiffer’s iconic Cat Woman’s outfit and Wednesday's school uniform, some ideas that never made it onto the screen and of course, lots of information about his movies.
We discover his huge early love of British horror icon Vincent Price, the main subject of one of his first short animated films, it features narration by his idol, Price himself. We also learn about his other stop motion movies such as the Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie and A Nightmare before Christmas. As you follow the path through the gallery, you enter a corridor of his artwork and sculptures finally ending with a short documentary about Burton’s life and works so far.
This exhibition focuses mostly on his art, movies and occasionally, his partnership with other artists. In my opinion, Tim Burton is one of the best directors and all his works have made a huge impact on my life and probably, a lot of others. Overall, the museum is an enlightening experience giving us a look into his eccentric mind and how his life flows into his work.
