Art of the Hollywood Backdrop

Backgrounds now in the Foreground

Painted canvases created for some of Hollywood’s most famous films transport audiences to dramatic landscapes and grand settings through the art of scenic illusion.

North by Northwest (1959) Ben Carré: Lead Scenic

In almost every feature film of Hollywood's golden age from North by Northwest to Ben Hur to The Sound of Music, painted backdrops have convinced moviegoers that what they are seeing—whether Mount Rushmore’s presidents, ancient Rome, or the Austrian Alps—is real. These painted canvases were intended to transport the audience, yet have largely remained unremarked for the illusions that they are.

These MGM and Fox studio backdrops represent key genres created from 1938 to 1968. Now, for the first time, the public can get up close to appreciate the masterful brushstrokes of the artists and study the art of illusion. This exhibition allows Hollywood’s scenic artists to finally be recognized for their contributions to cinematic art.

Art of the Hollywood Backdrop is an immersive storytelling experience and portal into the cinematic moments we grew up with and believed were real. Backdrops created to fool the eye and fade into the background of their movies now take center stage, displaying wizardry more compelling than many of the figures that once appeared before them.

The exhibition shares deep insight into the craft, techniques, and personal stories of the previously unrecognized scenic artists, using oral histories and film clips that support our stories’ narrative. Art of the Hollywood Backdrop offers an unforgettable appreciation of the artists working behind Hollywood’s cinematic curtain and into motion picture history itself.

Throughout the galleries, visitors will see curated examples of architecture, landscape, and interior design. Hand-painted motion picture backdrops, varying in height from 13 to18 feet, including one considered by many artists the most perfect backing ever painted: the 30-foot-tall Mount Rushmore from North by Northwest. These works demonstrate the mastery of illusion wielded by Hollywood’s top motion picture scenic artist