It is over ten years now since I was commissioned by Wes Anderson to create the fictional renaissance ‘masterpiece’ Boy with Apple (by my alter ego Johannes Van Hoytl, the younger) for his wonderful movie The Grand Budapest Hotel. The original painting has now been loaned by Wes from his personal collection to a major retrospective exhibition of his work in Paris.
The exhibition, at la Cinémathèque Française, follows the evolution of his films from his first experiments in the 1990s, up to his most recent Oscar-winning productions. With original props, costumes, and behind-the-scenes insights, including from his personal collection, this exhibition offers an unprecedented look into the world of Wes Anderson.
A collaboration with the Design Museum, the exhibition will move on to their London space in November 2025 before, in Wes’s words “It becomes a travelling circus”, and so begins an extended world tour in 2026.
Definitely time now to go and watch the film again…..
Curator Johanna Agerman Ross (from the exhibition catalogue)
….the stature of Boy with Apple eventually transcended the screen altogether. It was treated differently to all other props during filming, being packed in its own crate and staying with Anderson himself throughout the shoot. Subsequently, it has gained its own Wikipedia page and become Taylor’s most famous work.
