Star Wars
dal 4/4/2002 al 7/7/2002
Segnalato da
4/4/2002
Star Wars
Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York
Since the show opened in 1997 at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., nearly two million visitors have marveled at the ornately costumed characters and exquisitely detailed production models that have become cultural icons for two generations of Star Wars fans worldwide.
The Magic of Myth
From April 5 to July 7, the Brooklyn Museum of Art will present one of the most visited exhibitions of all
time, Star Wars: The Magic of Myth. Since the show opened in 1997 at the National Air and Space Museum in
Washington, D.C., nearly two million visitors have marveled at the ornately costumed characters and
exquisitely detailed production models that have become cultural icons for two generations of Star Wars fans
worldwide.
The Brooklyn Museum of Art will devote two floors to the installation of The Magic of Myth and
exhibit more objects than were seen at any of the previous six venues.
The exhibition showcases original material from the first Star Wars trilogy - Star Wars: A New Hope, The
Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi - as well as Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Included will
be over thirty costumed mannequins, thirty-five models, and fifty concept drawing, storyboards, and
paintings produced by the artists of Lucasfilm. Visitors will enjoy close-up looks at R2-D2, C-3PO, Darth
Vader, Yoda, intergalactic bounty hunter Boba Fett, Chewbacca, and Darth Maul, as well as Princess Leia's
slave girl costume, Han Solo frozen in carbonite, a model of young Anakin Skywalker's podracer, and an
eleven-foot long model of the Imperial Star Destroyer.
Some extraordinary artifacts are being added to the exhibition especially for Brooklyn, among them the
costume worn by Queen Amidala when she appeared before the Galactic Senate. Because of her
multi-faceted roles and secret identities, her character is one of the most striking in the Star Wars saga. Her
costume is notable for its fusion of Asian and European Art Nouveau style as well as the extraordinary
quality of craftsmanship in the combination of velvets, soutache braiding, beading and appliques.
Accompanying the Queen's costume will be costumes worn by two of her handmaidens, also exquisite in
design and material. For Star Wars fans, the chance to view this material before it leaves the United States
will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and photography will be permitted throughout the show.
Another highlight of the installation at the BMA will be the palace of the crime lord, Jabba the Hutt, where he
will be seen reclining in splendor with his court jester, Salacious B. Crumb. Huge photomurals of such
familiar scenes as the Death Star and Emperor Palpatine's throne room, recalling the monumental imagery
of the motion pictures, will also be on view and interpretive panels will explore the mythological sources that
transform Star Wars into a timeless epic.
Reflective of Joseph Campbell's story of the "hero journey" presented in his book The Hero with A Thousand
Faces, this show will explain how archetypal themes, such as the youthful hero and the redemption of evil,
resonate throughout the Star Wars saga, giving it an enduring universality. An ancillary exhibition, Myths and
Heroes, with objects drawn from the BMA's permanent collections, will demonstrate how these themes have
influenced both Western and non-Western artists for millennia.
The Magic of Myth includes a 28-minute documentary film on the making of the Star Wars movies as well as
an audio tour, which gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the films.
Star Wars: The Magic of Myth was developed by the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. This exhibition was organized for travel by the
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). It is curated at the Brooklyn Museum of Art by Dr. James F. Romano of the Department of
Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art. All artifacts in the exhibition are on loan from the archives of Lucasfilm, Ltd.
An illustrated catalogue by
Mary Henderson, exhibition curator from the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, accompanies the exhibition.
For the presentation at the BMA, Time Out New York is a media sponsor and the New York Marriot Brooklyn is the official hotel.
Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Parkway
New York