Tim Burton (Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — There are those who contently exist in this world and then those who envision endless worlds of possibility. These people are not just talented but gifted visionaries, and Tim Burton is one. Burton grew up in Burbank — a quintessential American suburb in California. He graduated from high school in 1976 and, in his senior portrait, he sports a pensive smile and a side-part.

That high school senior would go on to direct Beetlejuice, Batman and Batman Returns, Big Fish, and, of course, Edward Scissorhands amidst a greater body of work. He also produced many of his projects, including Beetlejuice the animated series, James and the Giant Peach, and Ed Wood. Burton is also a writer, contributing to his projects such as The Nightmare Before Christmas at every step.

On November 22, 2009, an exhibit will open at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City which will showcase Burton’s work. It will be open through April 26, 2010. The exhibit will bring together over 700 works of rarely seen drawings, paintings, storyboards, moving image works, puppets, maquettes, costumes, and cinematic ephemera. It covers nearly his whole life, from childhood to amateur short films from his youth, to examples of his first professional work with Disney and beyond. His more mature work touches on themes of adolescent and adult interaction and elements of sentiment, cynicism, and humor.

The museum will also be hosting a film series of Burton’s work that spans his 27-year career in Hollywood.  In conjunction, they will also be showing a series of films that inspired Burton. Films include The Lurid Beauty of Monsters, Jason and the Argonauts and Frankenstein.

It is tempting to draw comparisons between Burton and Andy Warhol. Perhaps Burton’s work is “darker” on the whole, but both artists offer the same level of originality. The work is easily recognizable and uses color and famous faces — in Burton’s case, oftentimes Johnny Depp.

The exhibit will coincide with the release of a book of his work published by the Museum of Modern Art. Ron Magliozzi, Jenny He, Rajendra Roy, and Celeste Bartos  are the curators on this not-to-be-missed project.

Tim Burton

November 22, 2009–April 26, 2010