Wes Anderson Has Curated His First Art Exhibition, and It Opens Next Month

Along with partner Juman Malouf, the 'Isle of Dogs' director is overseeing an art exhibition for Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Libby Curran and Sarah Ward
October 27, 2018

He captured imaginations and made his artistic mark with big-screen hits like The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel. And, he once designed a Milan cafe that resembled one of his film sets. Earlier this year, he also released his gorgeous stop-motion animated movie Isle of Dogs — but that's not all that acclaimed director Wes Anderson has for fans in 2018.

Known for his visual distinctive style and fondness for symmetry, Anderson has also taken his creative vision into the art world, playing museum curator alongside his partner, set designer and illustrator Juman Malouf. As announced back in February, the pair have been invited to put together an exhibition for Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum, which you've got to admit looks like it's been plucked from a dreamy Anderson flick itself.

Called Spitzmaus Mummy in a Coffin and Other Treasures, the exhibition is set to kick off on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 and run until April 28, 2019. The creative couple were given a task that plenty would envy: trawling through the Kunsthistorisches Museum's more than four million objects, and selecting their favourites from the incredibly broad collection of in-house artifacts.

The end result includes items from all 14 of the museum's collections, which span old master paintings, Greek and Roman antiquities, Imperial coins and more.  Pieces like historical musical instruments, suits of armour, foreign antiques, carriages and sleighs will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue — sure to be a swoon-worthy piece of art in its own right.

And if you're not planning to be in Austria while it's on, maybe start thinking about heading to Italy. After its initial Kunsthistorisches run, the exhibition will travel to the Fondazione Prada in Milan at a yet-to-be-announced date.

Here's a sneak peak of what's in store.

Image: Wes Anderson and Juman Malouf
 in the Picture Gallery, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna © KHM-Museumsverband .

Published on October 27, 2018 by Libby Curran
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