Stanley Kubrick

(Los Angeles-August 16, 2012) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Academy) are pleased to co-present the first U.S. retrospective of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, developed in collaboration with the Kubrick Estate and the Deutsches Filmmuseum, Frankfurt. The exhibition provides access to the director’s extraordinary vision and working methods while illuminating the network of influences and conditions that came together to make his films universally regarded as modern masterpieces. The Los Angeles presentation is made possible by a generous gift from Steve Tisch.

“By featuring this legendary filmmaker and his oeuvre in his first retrospective within the context of an art museum, Stanley Kubrick will reevaluate how we define the artist in the twenty-first century, and simultaneously expand upon LACMA’s commitment to exploring the intersection of art and film,” said Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director of LACMA. “We are also pleased to honor Kubrick’s impact on film and art history at our 2012 Art + Film Gala, along with artist Ed Ruscha, on October 27.”

“Stanley Kubrick represents the perfect opportunity to collaborate with LACMA on the presentation of film in a museum setting,” said Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO. “It is a taste of things to come when we open the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in the historic Wilshire May Company building on the LACMA campus.”

LACMA trustee Steve Tisch said, “I am glad to support this important retrospective of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. This is one more example of LACMA’s commitment to film as an art form, along with past exhibitions like Tim Burton and Dalí: Painting & Film and recent acquisitions like Christian Marclay’s The Clock.”

Kubrick’s acclaimed repertoire of films, including Paths of Glory, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut, among others, highlight not only his signature directorial tenacity but also major technological innovations of the time, such as filming by candlelight in Barry Lyndon and utilizing the front projection effect in 2001. The exhibition also includes an alternate beginning to this seminal science fiction film.

Kubrick’s films will be represented through a thoughtful selection of archival material, annotated scripts, photography, costumes, cameras and equipment, set models, original promotional materials, and props. The interdisciplinary exhibition draws attention to Kubrick’s fixation with historical research and his visionary adaptations of influences from the fine arts, design, and architecture, and enables visitors to experience the cinematic journey of one of the great artists of the twentieth century. The exhibition also includes sections dedicated to projects that were never completed, as well as to the special effects (visual and auditory) developed by Kubrick and his team.

Terry Semel, co-chair of LACMA’s board of trustees, said “I had the great privilege of working with Stanley on many of his films, including Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut. I am thrilled to see his work honored in a museum setting.”

Hawk Koch, Academy president, said “This is a major step in the Academy’s plan to create a premier movie museum in Los Angeles. We are pleased to co-present this retrospective with LACMA which will provide visitors the opportunity to experience Kubrick’s iconic work as well as his influence on our culture.”

The exhibition will be accompanied by a film retrospective at LACMA’s Bing Theater beginning in November, as well as public programs and conversations with Kubrick’s collaborators and people he influenced, and additional exhibition-related film series planned for spring 2013.

Image credits:

2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1965–68; GB/United States). The astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) in the storage loft of the computer HAL, © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1965–68; GB/United States). Stanley Kubrick in the Interior of the space ship
"Discovery," © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1965–68; GB/United States). Screen photo, © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1965–68; GB/United States). Stanley Kubrick on set during the filming. © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Exhibition: Stanley Kubrick On View: November 1, 2012-June 30, 2013 Location: Art of the Americas Building