Filmmaker Wes Anderson’s archives to go on display at London’s Design Museum Filmmaker Wes Anderson’s archives to go on display at London’s Design Museum

With his distinct colour schemes, whimsical characters, and gorgeous sets, we’ve probably all wanted to step inside a Wes Anderson movie at some point or another (in fact, tens of thousands of people attempted to do so in 2023 when the Wes Anderson trend took over TikTok).

And if you want to immerse yourself in the American filmmaker’s world beyond watching and rewatching Moonrise Kingdom, we have good news, as hundreds of objects from his films will be going on display as part of a new exhibition at London’s Design Museum later this year.

Opening on 21 November, Wes Anderson: The Archives will feature everything from original storyboards, polaroids and sketches to costumes, props and stop-motion puppets.

The item expected to draw the biggest crowds is the candy-pink model of the Grand Budapest Hotel. Spanning more than three metres in width, the prop was used to capture the building’s façade for the 2014 film.

More than 600 objects will be going on display, forming a broadly chronological survey of his career so far, and will be split by film. Beginning with his first feature film, Bottle Rocket (1996), which you’ll be able to watch in its entirety, the showcase will go right up until his Oscar-winning short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023).

Other highlights include vending machines from Asteroid City (2023), the FENDI fur coat worn by Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and the original stop motion puppets used in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).

Lucia Savi, Head of Curatorial and Interpretation at the Design Museum and co-curator of Wes Anderson: The Archives, said, “Each Wes Anderson picture plunges the viewer into a world with its own codes, motifs, references, and with sumptuous and instantly recognisable sets and costumes. Every single object in a Wes Anderson film is very personal to him — they are not simply props, they are fully formed pieces of art and design that make his inventive worlds come to life.”

Created in collaboration with La Cinémathèque Française in Paris, and Wes Anderson himself, Wes Anderson: The Archives is the first exhibition dedicated to the renowned filmmaker. The exhibition is currently on display at La Cinémathèque Française until 27 July, before coming to London in November.

More information: designmuseum.org

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