While in Los Angeles at a family graduation, we made a detour and squeezed in the current Tim Burton exhibit at LACMA (LINK) and very glad we did! Sure, I expected it to be a great show (after all IT IS Tim Burton), but the size, span and depth of the show was unexpected. It starts with the great entrance cave installation (above) and from there opens into room after room of all things Burton.
His childhood and adult influences are represented, college works from his days at Cal Arts, short films, sculptures, doodles, notebooks, movie story boards, oil paintings, character studies and models, costume originals and pieces from his movie sets. There are many pages form his journals and these were some of my favorites, his talent and wit are delightful, a fresh peek into Burton's twisted, lovely brain.
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| "Persecution Complex", a journal doodle by Tim Burton |
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| Another journal page, titled "Schizophrenia" ( or maybe "Split Personality"?) |
There is also a super trippy black light room with scribbles on the walls and a large, kinetic carousel sculpture floating and spinning in the center of the room. (LINK - to a short vid someone posted on the web) I could have stayed in there all day!
The exhibit itself was somewhat confusing to traverse, it didn't have a great flow and as usual, they were letting too many people in - despite the timed ticket sales. However, it is very worth fighting the crowds for and delivers a lot of Burton art and perspective, not just an excuse for mass merchandising by Disney. In each room, there are fun little windows peeking thru to the next room, giving the viewer a tease to what is coming up. All his movies - from Beetlejuice, Nightmares Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride to Alice in Wonderland - have items on display. A fantastic and honorable exhibition of one very talented and prolific dude! Kudos to the curators for this show, it's nice to know living and offbeat artists can be taken seriously in the museum world.
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| The coveted leather costume from Edward Scissorhands |
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| Loved all the facial expression models of Jack, they really hammered home all the work that goes into just one character animation... |
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| A fun little inflatable install blows upward at the very end of the show. |
