The World of Tim Burton – Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Italy

The National Cinema Museum of Turin presents THE WORLD OF TIM BURTON, the exhibition dedicated to the creative genius of Tim Burton. For the first time in Italy, the exhibition is held at the Mole Antonelliana.

A journey into the visionary universe and creativity of Tim Burton: the main core of the exhibition focuses on the director’s personal archive, showing an incredible variety of his creative production. Therefore, not only precious documents but also drawings and sketches with the recurring themes and visual motifs from which the characters that characterize the director’s distinctive cinematic worlds came to life.

The exhibition retraces Burton’s footsteps and the evolution of his singular visual imagination as a multidimensional postmodern artist, in a sort of autobiography told through his limitless creative process.
Through the unique presentation of the director’s work, his unique vision transcends mediums and formats, making it clear how ideas, themes, and even some specific images of his art ended up in the most iconic films we now associate with the lavish spectacle. Cinematic.

Long before his critical and commercial success in the live-action and animation genres, Burton drew inspiration from television films, animation, newspaper comics, school myths and fairy tales, and other forms of popular culture, incorporating these everlasting influences in his art and films. His childhood sketches demonstrate Burton’s diversity and recall the work of his predecessors, including classic cartoonists and illustrators such as Edward Gorey, Charles Addams, Don Martin and Theodore Geisel. The impact of Japanese monster films, expressionist cinema, Universal Studios’ catalogue of horror, and masters of suspense William Castle and Vincent Price also permeate his work.

This major immersive exhibition is a kind of exclusive journey into the mind of a creative genius, the definitive exploration of Tim Burton’s artistic production, inimitable style and specific perspective.
Divided into 9 thematic sections, it presents over 500 examples of original works of art, rarely or never seen before, from the beginnings to the most recent projects, including sketches, paintings, drawings, photographs, concept art, storyboards, costumes, works in movement, maquettes, puppets and life-size sculptural installations. An evocative setting will lead visitors and fans to immerse themselves in Tim Burton’s extraordinary universe, experiencing a deepening of his sensitivity and taking photos with the figure of the Balloon Boy, and they will have the opportunity to explore the exact replica of Tim Burton’s personal studio artist along with a special sneak peek of current or unrealized projects.

This exhibition is conceived and co-curated by Jenny He in collaboration with Tim Burton; it is adapted by Domenico De Gaetano for the National Cinema Museum.

The exhibition received the patronage of the City of Turin.