From gothic originals like Beetlejuice to his more recent collaborations with Disney on Alice in Wonderland, the style of Tim Burton has delighted young minds since his first hit film, 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure introduced the world to Paul Reuben’s popular kids character, Pee Wee Herman.
Born in Burbank, California, Burton was attracted to the movies from a young age. He began creating his own short films as a child using motion animation shot on 8mm film without sound, including The Island of Doctor Agor that he made when he was 13 years old.
Inspired by Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl (who he paid tribute to by adapting James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for film), Burton’s distinct visual style has been a trademark of all his film, whether it’s his sweeping vision of a dark Gotham in 1989’s Batman or the colorful weirdness of his star-studded cult favorite, Mars Attacks!
He remains busy, recently topping China’s box office with Alice Through the Looking Glass and is set to delight families again next month with the release of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Adapted from Ransom Riggs’ 2011 novel, the fantasy adventure stars Eva Green, Chris O’Dowd, Judi Dench and Samuel L. Jackson.
However, Lafayette Art Center in Xintiandi unlocks the famed director’s vaults to show off all his artistic sides from sculptures to drawings. With over 500 Burton originals across four floors, The Art of Tim Burton was curated by the famed MoMA New York gallery as a living example of their 2009 retrospective book of the same name.
“Going through his archive was like a treasure hunt for me as a curator,” Jenny He says, “I think he must have a time machine that makes a day 36 hours because he is so prolific and somehow managed to produce all these drawings, sculptures and installations.”
Entering the first floor, visitors can find Burton’s unique way of drawing men, women and creatures. A special section is devoted to the director’s interest in holidays, captured in his classic stop-motion animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The second floor focuses on Burton’s film characters and his fixation on misunderstood outcasts, which was the focus of his beloved film, Edward Scissorhands. Although these seemingly twisted creatures may seem initially off-putting, He provides refreshing insight into the director and artist’s vision.
“Spiral and stripes might be disorienting, but Tim finds they ground him,” she explains. “Stitches and dismemberment seem grotesque to most, but he sees it as an ability of putting oneself together, like Sally in Nightmare Before Christmas.”
The second floor also contains the ‘Polaroid Section and Unrealized Projects’ area that consists of works from 1992-1999, a period that Burton considers a break for him from filmmaking. Make sure to pay careful attention, as a framed handwritten note from Johnny Depp about a line in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is among its treasures.
The third floor contains an interactive area and lounge, but families must stop by the luminous area on the B1 level, which is inspired by the Oogie Boogie scenes from Nightmare Before Christmas. A theater and a reading area has also been set up, providing plenty of opportunities to rest and relax for the little ones.
Besides thrilling visitors, the curator hopes that the circular exhibition area will increase the understanding on how Burton’s film and artwork impact each other.
“The subversion of expectations is really what makes him so unique and singular because he sees the world in a different way,” He says.
Until October 10, 10am-10pm, RMB130-200. LaFayette Art Center
