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Disturbing events often unfold in Wes Anderson's films. Throughout his newest feature, an individual is casually split in half during an aviation disaster. In a different celebrated film, the central character feigns a life-threatening condition to rejoin his dysfunctional family. In a similar vein, the apparently admirable concierge in one more story is in truth a killer, against the backdrop of a imaginary country falling under authoritarian control.

All these situations are portrayed with knowing humorous effect—the cartoonish division echoes a vintage animated show, and the invented location is named after a popular Eastern European liquor. Meanwhile, each scene is extravagantly decorated with quirky artifacts, peculiar outfits, and bold hues. To longtime aficionados, this style is well-known, like finding a minute imperfection in an otherwise impeccable creation.

Show Highlights

Following earlier exhibitions dedicated to different renowned directors, the current exhibition turns its attention to Wes Anderson, presenting an expanded version of a show originally presented in collaboration with a prestigious film institution. The format will be familiar to visitors, showcasing a curated collection of archive material organized chronologically. Among the around 700 pieces sourced from a warehouse are costumes, wigs, drawings, models, imaginary tomes, paintings, a camping structure, a vintage writer, and scores of frame-by-frame characters.

Upper-class elites … costumes from a beloved feature on display.

Encompassing a three-decade movie journey, the display begins with a pioneering film—an unlikely homage to a well-known auteur's aesthetic—and ends with the auteur's newest release, which earned differing responses. The display layout incorporates galleries decorated in various shades of red, starting with bold postal and culminating in dark burgundy. Against this intense setting, the signature eccentricity of Anderson's world stands out.

Gems for Enthusiasts

Avid fans will surely enjoy examining the display's spoils, such as an surprisingly intricate scale model of a railway appearing in one of the features, or the luxurious red velvet costume donned by a renowned actor playing a wealthy character. Also on display is the real model of a well-known pastel building, resembling a monstrous dessert, along with maquettes of mutant sea creatures from a different movie, and an array of fuzzy stop-motion creatures displayed like a police lineup.

Marvelous … Character showcases his distinctive ribbed fabric attire.

Famous for his stylish attire, the auteur reportedly commissioned a suit crafted from the exact material as one of animated animals, played by a celebrity star. This anecdote exemplifies the filmmaker's considerable influence within the film world. Stellar ensemble casts are another regular characteristic in his films; viewers might easily miss cameo roles by well-known stars. Beyond talent, the director collaborates with acclaimed artistic experts, including a designer and an renowned costume designer.

Dedication to Minutiae

To less cinephiles, the overwhelming focus on Anderson's unique approach might feel slightly excessive, similar to being caught in a store filled with extremely twee objects. The mood of artifact fetishisation is set from the start, as the exhibition starts with a vitrine full of uniform notebook pads, every one filled with impeccably neat writing outlining concepts for every film. This underscores the filmmaker's longstanding identity as a precision perfectionist.

The dominant sense is one of creative fastidiousness that borders on compulsion. Significant pains is taken in down to the tiniest aspects, whether it's auditioning specific children to produce the correct look of retro handwriting for a brief message that appears on screen for only moments, or utilizing the exact variety of ink favored by a well-known underworld organization for a body art on a stop-motion character.

Maybe the greatest illustration of this laborious technique is the use of animated filmmaking, which requires puppets to be moved between 12 to 24 times for each second of footage. A particular film allegedly required a couple of years to finish, and the technicians—essentially performers—are expected with causing the figure feel lifelike.

Critical Perspectives

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