ART O F T H E H O L LY WO O D BAC K D RO P
Young Bess (40’ x 22’), exterior high-angle view of Westminster Abbey in the 1550s, MGM Studios (1953).
Film still from The Sound of Music, showing the actual location which was recreated with one of the iconic backdrops that will be seen by the public for the first time in this exhibition, 20th Century Fox (1965).
─ The Boca Raton Museum of Art presents the world premiere of this larger-than-life show, the first dedicated museum exhibition of its kind honoring the unsung heroes of Hollywood’s artistic DNA, going back through time almost 100 years ─ The first museum show dedicated to Hollywood’s painted backdrops, the grandest illusions ever created for the movies, makes its world premiere in South Florida (April 20, 2022 ‒ January 22, 2023) at the Boca Raton Museum of Art. Art of the Hollywood Backdrop: Cinema’s Creative Legacy honors the unsung heroes who created these monumental canvases for the camera, going back almost 100 years. These artists were the backbone of the film industry. The exhibition was originated by the Boca Raton Museum of Art and is co- curated by Thomas A. Walsh and Karen L. Maness, who played pivotal roles among a group of passionate Hollywood insiders to salvage these American treasures. The result in the Museum’s galleries is a magical portal that takes the terms “large-scale,” “immersive,” and “virtual reality” to a whole new level.
M U S EO B O CA R ATO N
Cinema’s Creative Legacy
Originally painted for Ben-Hur in 1959, this backdrop (48’ x 18’) was re-used in this scene from the 2016 for the film Hail, Caesar!
