Director Tim Burton’s Strange Art on Exhibit in New York

Also: A question from Indonesia about religion in America, and music from Brooklyn band Vampire Weekend.

04 March 2010

Director Tim Burton at the Museum of Modern Art

DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English. I'm Doug Johnson. Today on our program, we visit an art exhibit by film director Tim Burton, play music by Vampire Weekend, and answer a question about religion in America.

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Tim Burton makes strange and creative movies. They are influenced by his love of old horror and science-fiction films. Some of his most famous movies include “Beetlejuice”, “Edward Scissorhands,” “Mars Attacks!” and “Corpse Bride.” Visitors to New York City can see more of Tim Burton’s artistic work at an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. tells us more.

STEVE EMBER: Space creatures, body parts, deformed faces and tragic yet funny stories. This is a good description of Tim Burton’s creative style. He is best known for his dark and inventive movies. But he began his career as an artist. The Museum of Modern Art has gathered over seven hundred of Tim Burton’s drawings, paintings and other works.

Tim Burton made several of the drawings when he was very young growing up in Burbank, California.

In high school, he won a local competition to design an advertisement for an anti-trash campaign. This was the first public recognition of his growing artistic skills. Later, he attended the California Institute of Arts. Then he worked for Walt Disney Studios for four years.