The retrospective will explore the artistic evolution of filmmaker Wes Anderson through a collection that spans his early work in the 1990s and recent award-winning pieces.
Vibrant pastel color palettes, dry humor, absurdity, eye-catching designs, long takes, and unconventionally symmetrical shots: these are the elements that often characterize the work of acclaimed director Wes Anderson. His name needs no further introduction, with works that have consistently garnered critical acclaim from critics and cinephiles alike. Now, the Design Museum in London will be hosting the very first retrospective exhibition of the filmmaker’s works, Wes Anderson: The Exhibition, which is set to launch on November 21, 2025 and will run until May 4, 2026.
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Inside Wes Anderson’s World
The retrospective will explore Anderson’s entire filmography, including the things that have inspired his work and craftsmanship.
Visitors can expect a curated collection of props and costumes from his films, as well as insights into the process of creating them, all of which aim to celebrate his “enduring influence on contemporary cinema,” as the Design Museum’s website writes.
The Design Museum will begin selling tickets for the retrospective on its website by 2025, so fans of the filmmaker have plenty to look forward to.
A Filmmaker Unlike Any Other
After receiving his first Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay for The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Anderson began to steadily gain international recognition. His strong following of fans only increased as more fantastic works were added to his oeuvre, including The Grand Budapest Hotel (which was nominated for several Academy Awards in 2015, and won three); Moonrise Kingdom (2012); The French Dispatch (2021); and more recently, Asteroid City (2023).
Never one to limit the possibilities of his filmmaking practice, Anderson has also worked on two well-received stop-motion animated films that still carry his recognizable flair: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and Isle of Dogs (2018).
In 2024, Anderson also collaborated with Montblanc to release a charming 100th anniversary tribute to its Meisterstück fountain pen (which garnered two million views). The year has been a busy one for the filmmaker, who also released a series of short films for Netflix—one of which, entitled “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” won the 2024 Academy Award for Best Short Film (marking Anderson’s first Oscar as well). With its enthralling yet peculiar narrative based on a Roald Dahl story, and gorgeous moving sets that imitate a stage production, it’s certainly a 40-minute masterpiece.
Regardless of what format, genre, or medium Anderson uses to tell his stories, his name has become an inimitable adjective in itself for fans and even casual moviegoers alike, used to describe things that evoke a similar kind of whimsy and magic that the world always needs.
Banner photo from the Design Museum website.
