Tim Burton : Filmmaker In Melbourne For Exhibition

Tim Burton (the cult Artist and film maker behind such classics as Batman, Beetlejuice and Sleepy Hollow) delighted crowds with a rare appearance at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne to officially open "Tim Burton: The Exhibition", which will be on display at ACMI until 10 October, 2010.

The event was opened, direct from The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, by Victorian Minister for the Arts Mr Peter Batchelor, ACMI Board President The Hon. John Thwaites, ACMI Director Tony Sweeney, MoMA Director Mr Glenn Lowry, and curators from both institutions.

The exhibition, a part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces 2010 collection, explores every aspect of Tim Burton's eccentric career - including works as director, concept artist illustrator and photographer in the form of hundreds of artworks from the likes of Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland.

Speaking at the Exhibition opening, Mr Batchelor said it was a tremendous honour for Melbourne to be the second city in the world - and the only city to host it in the Southern Hemisphere - to host this retrospective.

"There is a whole raft of wild, imaginative and quirky characters to explore. I have no doubt that this exhibition will delight and surprise audiences of all ages" he said.

ACMI Director Tony Sweeney welcomed Mr Burton to Melbourne suggesting that "Burton's amazing catalogue of work and his inspirational artistry has garnered him an international audience of fans and he has influenced a generation of young artists across the moving image and art spectrums".

Burton spoke briefly - and shyly - to the eager crowd saying "It is wonderful to have my works exhibited in this way. I feel quite exposed by the experience, I never imagined my work in a museum, but I am also excited to be able to share them with Melbourne, especially in such a unique way in ACMI's dark and very theatrical gallery".

"I hope the exhibition's local visitors and those who travel across Australia to see it have an enjoyable experience" he continued.

There are more than 700 objects on display at Tim Burton: The Exhibition, and is even bigger than the MoMA installation with the inclusion of never-before-seen artifacts from Burton's personal archives.

For the ACMI incarnation, Burton worked closely with curators and designers over several months to bring some new elements to the exhibition, including designing decorations for both the interior and exterior of the building and creating the "Burtonairum" (a carnival tent within a forest, covered in black lights) which is a centrepiece for the show.

And fans can also get their time to shine - with access to the original Batmobile from 1989's Batman!

Burton has been busy during his Melbourne trip, including appearances at ACMI for a Melbourne-exclusive which involved discussing some of his favourite films of all time with Alan Brough in Desert Island Flicks. He also walked the red carpet for the "Official Opening Night Event". Burton also signed copies of the official exhibition publication and the The Art of Tim Burton (both products available exclusively from the ACMI Store) and will appear at "Masterclass with the artist and filmmaker - hosted by Margaret Pomeranz".

The stunning event was broadcast on the big screen at Federation Square.

Tim Burton made his final public appearance in Melbourne during an introduction of the sold-out screening of his first feature film Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985).

Mr Batchelor said: "Melbourne Winter Masterpieces has been hugely successful – attracting over two million people so far and injecting $138 million into the Victorian economy since it was launched in 2004. 2010 offers two exciting, and very different, exhibitions which I’m sure will be embraced by audiences".

Tim Burton: The Exhibition is open at ACMI from 24 June until 10 October 2010. See www.acmi.net.au for a full list of events.