Last year, the Design Museum announced a major new exhibition on director Tim Burton – arriving this autumn, just in time for Halloween.
The World of Tim Burton, which runs from 25 October 2024 to 21 April 2025, will feature over 600 items from Burton’s remarkable 50-year career.
The exhibition will celebrate Burton’s creative process and spotlight over 18 of his films, including Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), as well as his more recent works such as the Netflix series Wednesday (2022).
The Rave’N dance dress, worn by actor Jenna Ortega in the show, will also be on public display for the first time. The school uniform Ortega wears in the series, designed by costume designer Colleen Atwood, will also be shown alongside Burton’s original character concept drawings.
The objects are loaned from Burton’s extensive personal archives, film studio archives including Paramount, Amazon MGM Studios, and Warner Bros., and the private collections of Burton’s collaborators. Many of the items in the collection have never been on public display in the UK before.
Attendees will have the chance to see hundreds of Burton’s own drawings, as well as props, set designs, and costumes from his most iconic films. Notably, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman costume from 1992’s Batman Returns will be on display, as will the black and white striped dress worn by Christina Ricci in 1999 film Sleepy Hollow.
The collection shines a light on Burton’s long-term collaborations with designers and artists, including Atwood, production designer Rick Heinrichs, architect and designer Anton Furst, and renowned puppet makers and animators Mackinnon and Saunders.
Visitors will also be able to see recreation of the private studio where Burton works, offering a rare glimpse into his private creative process.
The exhibition has enjoyed a hugely successful decade-long world tour spanning 14 cities in 11 different countries. Now, the exhibition is finally coming to London for one final staging, having been adapted, expanded, and reimagined specially for the Design Museum.