The unmistakeable, eccentrically stylized world of Wes Anderson has long been admired by the more artistically inclined of film buffs. It even inspired an Instagram account, book, and series of international exhibitions dedicated to that rare moment when the carefully curated look somehow comes about unplanned.
Now, the American film director’s unique vision is getting its institutional debut with a dedicated exhibition at the Design Museum in London opening this fall. With access to Anderson’s personal archives, the show’s curators have picked out more than 600 items—including costumes, props, personal notes, and paintings—that offer an unprecedented, behind the scenes glimpse into his creative process.
Vending machines from Atelier Simon Weisse for the film Asteroid City. Photo: Richard Round-Turner, © the Design Museum.
“Each Wes Anderson picture plunges the viewer into a world with its own codes, motifs, references, and with sumptuous and instantly recognizable sets and costumes,” explained Lucia Savi, the Design Museum’s head of curatorial and interpretation. “Every single object in a Wes Anderson film is very personal to him—they are not simply props, they are fully formed pieces of art and design that make his inventive worlds come to life.”
Millions of Anderson fans the world over have marveled over his greatest hits like (2014) and (2012), and are now waiting with bated breath for the release of (2025) at the end of this month. But where did it all begin?
Model of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Photo: © Thierry Stefanopoulos – La Cinémathèque Française.
The Design Museum will take visitors on a journey back in time with its full screening of Anderson’s first 14-minute short film from 1993, starring Owen Wilson, which went on to inspire his 1996 feature film debut of the same name. From there, the story of Anderson’s varied filmography unfolds in roughly chronological order, ending with the 2023 short .
Among the highlights that were announced today, on the wacky director’s 56th birthday, is the very same model of the Grand Budapest Hotel that was used to capture its entire lengthy pink facade in the beloved 2014 film.
Michael Taylor, Boy with Apple by Johannes Van Hoytl the Younger for the film The Grand Budapest Hotel. Image courtesy the artist.
Eagle-eyed art lovers will immediately recognize the painting , which was memorably billed as a “priceless Renaissance” portrait in . The composition by British artist Micheal Taylor was commissioned by Anderson as a prop for the film.
A whole cast of characters can be found in the puppets used for stop motion films like (2009) and (2018), which appear alongside their meticulously crafted miniature sets. Interpretative material will further elaborate on the director’s preference for traditional filmmaking techniques like stop motion animation, while sketches and early maquettes will provide some insight into how Anderson’s now well-known personalities first came to life.
Rat puppet by Arch Model Studio for Fantastic Mr. Fox. Photo: Richard Round-Turner, © the Design Museum.
Elsewhere, amid sketches and storyboards, museum-goers can get up close to the costumes worn by Hollywood stars like Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, and Ben Stiller. These include the Fendi fur coat that Gwyneth Paltrow wore as Margot Tenenbaum in the 2001 film and the outfit worn by Tilda Swinton when she played Madam D in .
“It is an absolute gift that even as a young filmmaker Wes Anderson had the vision and foresight to save all his props and beautifully crafted objects for his own archive,” said the Design Museum’s chief curator Johanna Agerman Ross. “We are thrilled to be the first to fully dive into the archive’s full riches.”
Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com
