Johnny Depp and Tim Burton.

Getting off the escalators on the third floor of the Museum of Modern Art, the difference in mood of this exhibition compared to the permanent collection is quite evident.  In front of you is a statue of a huge creature with its mouth open; to enter the Tim Burton exhibition, you walk through the jaws of this colorful monster.

Tim Burton, known for mixing quirky fairytales with dark themes, is a director, writer, and producer of many popular movies of our time, such as Batman, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Sleepy Hollow.  His more recent films have been twists on classic stories such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd, and Alice in Wonderland (which opens this March).

The MoMA exhibition shows personal work from his childhood up to 2009.  His original sketches, paintings, sculptures, and memorabilia (like in Planet Hollywood) from his movies fill the walls, and as you walk from room to room, you begin to realize how many ideas he has, and the creativity of his works of art.  In addition, some of his movies and short films are playing on screens next to corresponding experimental storyboard sketches and character drawings from when he was starting that project.

To give you an example of his “type” of art, imagine cartoon monsters that he drew to entertain himself while working at Disney (yes, he started off working at Disney).  They are stark, in black and white, with elongated features, and drawn with harsh lines, some disconcerting and disorienting; these sketches are not warm and fuzzy like a regular cartoon, but are angular, some slightly disturbing, but with an element of humor.  These cartoons are what developed into his recognizable and self-expressive films, and if you are a huge Tim Burton fan (such as myself), you might be able to recognize certain creatures in some of his early sketches that develop and reappear in his later films.

Two things surprised me about the exhibit. Most of the sketches were untitled, although they displayed such passion for art and for creative expression. Also, almost all of the sketches and drawings were from his private collection that he allowed to be displayed, so they were never-before-seen, and very personal.

I found the Tim Burton exhibition at MoMA enjoyable because I am familiar with his work and have seen all of his films, but I believe it would still be entertaining and inspiring for people who less familiar with his work, for it is unlike anything else in the whole museum (or in the world, for that matter), and for its uncensored creativity.

(By the way, you can get passes to MoMA and a bunch of other museums for $2.50 through High 5.)