Tim Burton and the Lurid Beauty of Monsters at MoMA

Written by Sidney Klausner Wednesday, 30 March 2011 00:03

New York, NY - A director of fables, fairy tales, and fantasies, with an aesthetic that incorporates the Gothic, the Grand Guignol, and German Expressionism, Tim Burton has created a body of films—fourteen features released over two and a half decades thus far—that reveal an uncompromised auteurist vision. Burton’s striking visuals and indelible characters make even his blockbuster studio films intimately personal. From adaptations to musicals to stop-motion animated films, his work bears a distinctive, unmistakable point-of-view, and his unique interpretations of well-known comic and literary characters, real-life personalities, and beloved childhood icons have resulted in creations that sometimes surpass their sources.

Along with his frequent collaborators—including actors Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, composer Danny Elfman, production designer Rick Heinrichs, and costume designer Colleen Atwood—Burton has also crafted a new canon of beloved characters, from Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice to Jack Skellington and the Corpse Bride.  On view at MoMA through 26 April, 2010.

Organized by Ron Magliozzi, Assistant Curator, and Jenny He, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film, with Rajendra Roy, The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film.

Special thanks to Ned Price, Warner Bros.; Schawn Belston and Caitlin Robertson, Twentieth Century-Fox; Kristen McCormick, Disney; Barry Allen and Andrea Kalas, Paramount; and Grover Crisp and Jared Sapolin, Sony Pictures Entertainment. Visit MoMA at : http://www.moma.org/