Prepare to be captivated as London’s the Design Museum unveils its 2024 exhibition lineup, promising a feast for film enthusiasts and design aficionados alike. With three powerhouse figures—Tim Burton, Barbie, and Enzo Mari—taking center stage, these promise to be showcases like no other. As proud stewards of creativity, we extend an exclusive invitation to Backstage members of Film and Furniture, granting you privileged access to preview these remarkable exhibitions before they unveil to the public. But that’s not all—Front Row and Backstage members can also win tickets to witness these showcases during the full duration of their display. Join us as we celebrate the intersection of film, design, and imagination at its finest.

In the words of Tim Marlow, Director and Chief Executive of the Design Museum: “Our exhibitions will not just spotlight very different kinds of creative individuals, they will also show how design both shapes and reflects everything in the world around us, from serious play and global entertainment to design as activism. We invite everyone to come and see us for what will no doubt be a creative, dynamic and thought-provoking 12 months in the nation’s design hub here in Kensington.”

Enzo Mari

First up, prepare for a retrospective of one of the most significant Italian designers of the 20^th Century – Italian designer and artist Enzo Mari.

Mari’s long-lasting designs have inspired generations of creatives and encompass a belief in the social responsibility of design that still resonates today.

Mari’s works have featured in several films and TV series’: You’ll often find a Mari in Pedro Almodovar films such as Broken Embraces and Pain and Glory.

Not only a designer, Mari was also an artist, teacher and theorist. During his prolific career, he created countless enduring and timeless designs, filling the homes and streets of the Milanese and beyond. An outspoken critic of the design industry, his uncompromising belief in the social responsibility of design resonates powerfully today, as we face ecological and ethical issues with ever greater urgency. 

This exhibition will bring together hundreds of his projects, ranging from furniture, children’s books and games, product and graphic design, to more conceptual installation-based works. Archival material will provide greater insight into Mari’s research process, and the key principles that guided and unified his work.

Complementing this will be a number of tributes from contemporary international artists and designers, which reflect on Mari’s extraordinary life and legacy.

When and Where?

Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli, the Enzo Mari retrospective spanning his 60 year career will be open at the Design Museum, London on 29 March until 08 September 2024.

See the Enzo Mari exhibition preview

We have 5 tickets available exclusively for Film and Furniture Backstage members to accompany us to the preview of the Enzo Mari exhibition before it opens to the public – Join now to be invited (limited places on a first come, first served basis).

In addition we will be running a competition for Backstage and Front Row members to win one of five pairs of tickets to visit the Enzo Mari exhibition anytime between 29 March until 08 September 2024. Join now to be notified when this competition is announced.

Barbie®: The Exhibition

Following on from Greta Gerwig’s smash hit Barbie movie, our interest in the world’s most famous doll shows no sign of waning. Coinciding with this year’s 65^th anniversary of the Barbie brand, a major show from July will explore the design evolution of the doll that transcends time.

Through a new partnership with Mattel Inc., the Design Museum has been granted special access to the extensive Barbie archives in California, and dozens of rare and unique items will go on show alongside other key loans and acquisitions to tell the story of the iconic brand over the past six-and-a-half decades.

The exhibition will be curated by the Design Museum Curator Danielle Thom and will map the Barbie legacy that started in 1959 when Ruth Handler wanted to craft a different narrative for her daughter, Barbara. It will go on to explore the story of Barbie through a design lens, including fashion, architecture, furniture and vehicle design.

When and Where?

Join the Design Museum in celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Barbie from 5th July 2024 to 23rd February 2025

See the Barbie exhibition preview

We have 5 tickets available exclusively for Film and Furniture Backstage members to accompany us to the preview of the Barbie exhibition before it opens to the public – Join now to be invited (limited places on a first come, first served basis).

In addition we will be running a competition for Backstage and Front Row members to win one of five pairs of tickets to visit the Barbie exhibition anytime between 29 March until 08 September 2024. Join now to be notified when this competition is announced.

The World of Tim Burton

Visitors can to step into the world of director and creative force Tim Burton in the Design Museum’s major exhibition from October 2024, just in time for Halloween.

Tim Burton is the creative force behind some of the most celebrated films of the last four decades: Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Batman Returns, Beetlejuice, Wednesday, Dumbo, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Alice in Wonderland, Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, Planet of the Apes, Sleepy Hollow and Mars Attacks! all bear his name and creativity. He is internationally recognised as a master of the comically grotesque and the endearingly misfit.

This major exhibition will invite visitors into his world through an exploration of his unique aesthetic universe. While most well-known for his cinematic work, this show will display the full extent of his production as an illustrator, painter, photographer, and author, as well as exploring some of the key collaborations which helped shape his world. As a multi-disciplinary artist his creations extend beyond the limits of mediums and formats.

When and Where?

The World of Tim Burton runs from 25th October 2024 to 21st April 2025 at the Design Museum in London’s Kensington which will be the final stop in a decade-long world tour for the show and its only ever showing in Britain.

See the Tim Burton exhibition preview

We have 5 tickets available exclusively for Film and Furniture Backstage members to accompany us to the preview of this Tim Burton exhibition before it opens to the public – Join now to be invited (limited places on a first come, first served basis).

In addition we will be running a competition for Backstage and Front Row members to win one of five pairs of tickets to visit the Tim Burton exhibition anytime between 25th October 2024 to 21st April 2025. Join now to be notified when this competition is announced.

Love events and exhibitions?

If you choose to become a Film and Furniture Backstage member not only will you receive invites to Design Museum previews, you will also receive discounts on the Design Museum membership, plus FREE tickets to F&F events (eg. talks from film+design experts, F&F exclusive furniture showroom tours) access to giveaway draws (eg. DVDs, film box sets, homeware, plus cinema, exhibition and theatre tickets from our partners) and access to pre-release film screenings (limited places on a first come, first served basis). JOIN IN >

This feature is FREE to Classic members.

To access in-depth features, video interviews, tickets to F&F events, giveaway draws, invitations to pre-release film screenings, major exhibitions and more, become a Front Row or Backstage member today!