Tim Burton and the Lurid Beauty of Monsters

December 2, 2009–April 26, 2010

In conjunction with the Tim Burton gallery and film exhibitions

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In conjunction with MoMA’s career retrospective of artist and filmmaker Tim Burton, the Department of Film presents Tim Burton and the Lurid Beauty of Monsters, a series of films that have influenced, inspired, and intrigued Burton, and which reflect the motifs, themes, and sensibilities of his work. Taking as its starting point horror-movie screenings that Burton organized in his youth, the series spans five decades and includes landmark films of stop-motion animation, German Expressionism, Grand Guignol horror, Universal monsters, and B-grade science-fiction. Burton has said of watching these movies while growing up, “I loved the lurid beauty of these monster movies. They spoke to me. I didn’t understand the world, and these films were somehow symbolic of the way I felt.”

Organized by Jenny He, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film. Special thanks to Wayne Titus, Alice Remsnyder, Elizabeth Quilter, and Charlie Achuff.