The exhibition, entitled Tim Burton – The Returns, from May 1 to September 30 at the Municipal House, will present more than 530 works, including graphic scene plans, sketches, sets, puppets and photographs from Burton’s films. The exhibition is organized by independent curator Jenny He in collaboration with Tim Burton Productions and Art Movement. Janka Kellerová informed ČTK about this on behalf of the organizers.
The exhibition Tim Burton – Returns follows on from the previous successful event Tim Burton and his world, which took place in 2014 at the House U Kamenné zvonu. The exhibition of Burton’s artwork spans the full range of his creative endeavours, offering a glimpse into a versatile artist whose unique vision crosses the boundaries between artistic techniques and genres.
Burton directed, for example, the feature films Dark Shadows and Frankenweenie, among the most successful are Alice in Wonderland, which earned him two Oscars and a Golden Globe nomination in the category of film musical and comedy, as well as the box office hits Batman and Batman Returns. Perhaps the most popular of his films is the romantic fantasy story Edward Scissorhands.
“When we organized a similar exhibition bringing Burton’s world closer in 2014, it became the most successful exhibition event of the year at the House U Kamenné zvonu. Over 100,000 people visited it then. We managed to engage and excite young viewers as well. We believe that this time too we will please the whole next generation, die-hard Burton fans as well as film and art lovers who grew up watching, for example, Dumbo or the horror series Wednesday,” said Art Movement director Kateřina Rileyová.
On three floors, the previous exhibition offered samples of five hundred of Burton’s works – his drawings, photographs, puppets, models, films. Of these, 150 exhibits have never been exhibited before. Burton decided to show them in Prague at the time due to his fascination with the Czech puppetry art.
Burton is often referred to as the most artistically expressive filmmaker, and his distinctive style is a mixture of fantasy, dark humor, exaggeration and fairy-tale motifs. The American director is also an acclaimed writer, illustrator, painter and photographer. In 1979, he graduated from the California Institute of the Arts and started as an animator in the studios of the Disney company. He later began making short films, and in 1985 his first feature Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure premiered. The comedy about a stolen bike was a success, and three years later he made his next film, the comedy-horror Beetlejuice.
Burton quickly became a respected creator, in 1989 he made Batman starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, and his star career took a steep turn. His court actor gradually became Johnny Depp, who played leading roles in many of his successful films.
The 65-year-old Burton has a large fan base in the Czech Republic as well. In 2006, a book of his poems was published in the Czech Republic under the title Trudný konec Oyster Boy and Other Stories.
