Johnny Depp’s costume in Edward Scissorhands, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman costume from Batman Returns (1992), Christina Ricci’s striped dress from Sleepy Hollow (1999), and Jenna Ortega’s Rave’N dance dress from the TV series Wednesday (2022) are among the highlights of an expanded exhibition celebrating the director’s work
 
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in school uniform surrounded by other schoolgirls
Copyright ©2022 MGM Television Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Courtesy of MGM Media Licensing
Illustration of creatures surrounding the planet earth
Copyright ©1996 by Tim Burton
Illustration of three figures in black hiding behind a sphere
Copyright by Tim Burton
Illustration of Edward Scissorhands, sketched in black, looking dishevelled
Copyright ©1990 by 20th Century Studios, Inc. All rights reserved.
Black-and-white photo of Tim Burton
Steve Schofield
 
Header image: Jenna Ortega’s Rave’N dance dress from Wednesday. Copyright ©2022 MGM Television Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Courtesy of MGM Media Licensing. Above, from top: Still from Wednesday. Tim Burton: Surrounded, 1996. Artwork by Tim Burton. Tim Burton: Untitled (Edward Scissorhands), 1990. Portrait of Tim Burton.
 
The Design Museum, in partnership with Harvey Nichols, presents The World of Tim Burton, which shows items from the acclaimed auteur’s personal archives for the first time in the UK.

Six hundred items from 50 years of creative output will be on display from October 25, running through April 21, 2025, including 18 of his films meriting special attention. The exhibition includes a look at the creative processes behind such hits as Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Objects from early, unrealized projects are included, including sketches from his childhood, as well as ones from his 2024 film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Costumes, props and set designs appear, including Johnny Depp’s costume in Edward Scissorhands, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman costume from Batman Returns (1992), Christina Ricci’s striped dress from Sleepy Hollow (1999), and Jenna Ortega’s Rave’N dance dress from the TV series Wednesday (2022).

Burton’s early artworks for characters in Mars Attacks! (1996), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005), among other films, appear.

A replica of Burton’s private studio also appears.

Said Burton, ‘It’s a strange thing, to put 50 years of art and your life on view for everyone to see, especially when that was never the original purpose. In the past, I have resisted having the exhibition in London, however, collaborating with the Design Museum for this final stop was the right choice. They understand the art, and with the opportunity to adapt the show and highlight the way design interacts with the works, I’ve been able to view it all through an exciting new lens.’

Maria McLintock, the curator, said, ‘For Tim Burton, each film begins with a drawing, that he often returns to over time, almost like old friends. We’re thrilled to be displaying so many of these deeply personal works at the Design Museum this autumn, in the heart of the city he’s called home for over 20 years. This hugely successful show has delighted audiences across the globe for over a decade, but our Design Museum reimagining, with many new additions and new narratives, means this will be an unprecedented opportunity to be immersed in Tim Burton’s unique and singular vision.’

Design Museum CEO Tim Marlow added, ‘During his extraordinary career, Tim Burton has harnessed a compelling mixture of gothic horror and black comedy, of melancholy and enchantment, of oddball whimsy and visionary range in the creation of fantastical filmic worlds. Our exhibition will explore his remarkable creative vision, subtly reframed through the lens of design, and give visitors a new perspective on a cinematic master.’

The exhibition has visited 14 cities in 11 countries since 2014, and the London stop marks its final staging. The Design Museum notes that it has been ‘specially adapted, expanded, and physically reimagined’, with 90 new objects and a deeper examination into Burton’s craft.

His design collaborators will also be highlighted, including the works of costume designer Colleen Atwood, production designer Rick Heinrichs, architect and designer Anton Furst, and the puppet-makers and stop-motion animators Mackinnon and Saunders.

The narrative has also been reimagined for the London leg, starting with Burton’s early artworks, college studies, and his time as an apprentice animator at Disney; moving into stop-motion animation and influences; his 13 key feature films and TV series Wednesday; his prolific output of art; then his work outside cinema. The finalé features a newly commissioned film featuring Burton’s key collaborators, shown in a bespoke art-déco space.

Sound designer Tomi Rose has created a special soundscape for the exhibition.

A new book, Tim Burton: Designing Worlds will be published to accompany the exhibition, featuring interviews with the director, Atwood and Mackinnon & Saunders, and essays by Imogen West-Knights and Ryan White. The book can be pre-ordered now.

The items have been loaned by Burton himself, his collaborators, and by the archives of Paramount, Amazon MGM Studios and Warner Bros. Jenny He, an independent curator, organized the exhibition, and McLintock adapted it for the Design Museum. To tie in with the exhibition, Harvey Nichols will release a Burtonesque Christmas window display later this year, with five objects from Burton’s private collection.

Tickets to the exhibition can be booked now at the Design Museum’s website.
 
Black-and-white illustration of insects conversing
Copyright ©1994 by Tim Burton
Illustration of a planet earth with its mouth open devouring people
Copyright ©1994 by Tim Burton
Art showing a creature with two eyes, each eye with a red spiral pattern
Copyright by Tim Burton
Art showing dogs wearing spacesuits on an alien planet
Copyright ©1998 by Tim Burton
Art showing a boy holding a teddy bear standing in front of the Eiffel Tower
Copyright ©2001 by Tim Burton
Illustration of a boy in black staring out from the left of the frame
Copyright ©2009 by Tim Burton
 
Above, from top: Tim Burton: Untitled (Creature Series), 1994. Tim Burton: Untitled (Creature Series), 1994; in pen and ink, marker, and watercolour wash on paper (from a private collection). Tim Burton: Percepto, c. 1996–7. Artwork by Tim Burton. Tim Burton: Untitled (Dogs in Space), 1998. Tim Burton: Untitled (Teddy Bear in Paris), 2001 (from a private collection). Tim Burton: Untitled (Boy Series), 2009, in marker and watercolour on paper (from a private collection).