The Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting a new exhibition that explores Walt Disney‘s fascination with French decorative arts. Pink castles, talking sofas, ornate objects — what may have seemed like fantasies from the Disney animators, were in fact inspired by the exuberant salons of Rococo Paris.
From tapestries and Boulle clocks, Sèvres porcelain to furniture — the exhibition will meticulously explore European visual culture in Disney animated films, such as the Gothic Revival architecture found in Cinderella (1950) or the Rococo-inspired objects from Beauty and the Beast (1991) — which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
As The Met’s first exhibition on Walt Disney and the hand-drawn animation of Walt Disney Animation Studios, the institution presents 60 works of 18th-century European decorative arts and design alongside 150 production artworks from the Disney archives.
Additionally, The Met has published a dense new book chronicling the show, which you can purchase for $50 USD. “Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts” is on view until March 6, 2022.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 5th Ave,
New York, NY 10028