Take a peek into Wes Anderson’s personal archives

An upcoming exhibition at London’s Design Museum will let guests take a journey through Wes Anderson’s never-before-seen personal archives—from the coat worn by Gwenyth Paltrow in The Royal Tenenbaums to the original Grand Budapest Hotel model and the actual puppets used in the stop-motion film Fantastic Mr. Fox.

The exhibition, titled “Wes Anderson: The Archives,” includes more than 600 objects collected by the iconic filmmaker over the past 30 years. It opens on November 21 and runs through the following July, and advance tickets are already on sale. Aside from a smaller initial showing at la Cinémathèque française, a collaborator on the exhibition, this will be the first time that Anderson’s archives have been displayed. In fact, most of the items have rested in storage ever since the shooting of their respective films. 

An extensive archive

Anderson’s personal object curation began after the making of his first feature-length film, Bottle Rocket, which was released in 1996. 

“Anderson’s meticulous collecting of these items began when he realized that everything that had been made for Bottle Rocket was owned and then sold off by the film’s production company,” the release explains. “So, from his second feature film—Rushmore—he personally took care of every item after shooting concluded, ensuring he was the guardian of all items crafted for each movie.”

Because of this concerted effort, the Design Museum now has access to items from 1998’s Rushmore all the way up to Anderson’s most recent project, the 2023 short film anthology collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More. 

Some of the most recognizable pieces in the collection include props, costumes, and puppets from Anderson’s films. From The Grand Budapest Hotel, there’s the original candy-pink model of the titular hotel, standing several feet tall; the film’s Boy with Apple painting, which becomes a central character in itself; and the jaunty concierge costume worn by Ralph Fiennes’s Gustave H. From The Royal Tenenbaums, there’s the much-emultated tan fur coat worn by Gwyneth Paltrow’s Margot Tenenbaum, as well as a poster of Richie Tenenbaum that’s shown in the film. And from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, costumes from the full ensemble cast will be on display together.

Fans of Anderson’s animated stop-motion films, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs, will get an opportunity that might be the most exciting of all: coming face-to-face with the characters themselves.

A glimpse of Wes Anderson’s creative mind

In addition to props from the films, “Wes Anderson: The Archives” plans to offer a peek into Anderson’s work process and lesser-known details from his career. 

Starting with the earliest point in his artistic evolution, the museum will show a screening of Anderson’s Bottle Rocket short film, the original 13-minute version of the eventual feature-length movie starring Owen and Luke Wilson. The short serves as the very first example of Anderson’s now-iconic style, and is often cited as the launchpad for his later fame.

Also on view will be a series of Anderson’s annotated notebooks from the set of The Royal Tenenbaums, as well as early sketches, storyboards, and polaroids from set.

In short, it’s a Wes Anderson superfan’s most far-fetched dream, all contained in one museum showing.

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