He ’02 Co-Authors Book on Filmmaker Tim Burton

Jenny He ’02 is the co-author, along with Ron Magliozzi, of a new book Tim Burton, published by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City to accompany a major career retrospective that is currently on view at the museum. The publication considers Burton’s career as an artist and filmmaker, the evolution of his creative practices and the influence of popular culture and Pop Surrealism on his work. The book traces the path of his visual imagination from his earliest childhood drawings through his mature works, which includes his films Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The publication offers a fresh look at Burton’s career and presents previously unseen works from the artist’s personal archive. Among the 64 illustrations in the book are works on paper, moving-image stills, drawn and painted concept art, puppets and maquettes, storyboards, and examples of his work as a graphic artist.

Jenny He contributes an essay in the book, “An Auteur for All Ages.” In the essay, she discusses Burton’s unique visuals, specific themes and his embrace of character. She points out that despite working on major studio productions, Burton has been able to maintain his “uncompromised aesthetic” by usually working with the same creative team.

He is currently a curatorial assistant in the department of film at the Museum of Modern Art and the co-curator of the Tim Burton exhibition, which is on view at the museum until April 26, 2010.

In conjunction with the exhibition, she curated the film series “Tim Burton and the Lurid Beauty of Monsters,” highlighting movies that have influenced, inspired, and intrigued the director. She previously curated MOMA exhibitions on the films of the Coen brothers, George Romero, and James Mangold.

Her essay on actress Lillian Gish is forthcoming in an anthology published by MoMA on women artists in the museum collection; she will also curate an exhibition of Gish films.