New York, November 17, 2009 – The Museum of Modern Art’s tribute to filmmaker Tim Burton was an amazing event, with the director and his lady Helena Bonham Carter, his longtime collaborator Johnny Depp and other stars in attendance for dinner and a presentation recognizing Burton’s acclaimed directorial work.  The evening was also a revelation, a preview of a major exhibition of Tim Burton’s work, opening November 22 at MoMA. 

The exhibit traces Burton’s visual imagination, from his earliest childhood drawings through his mature work in film.  Included are 700 examples of rarely seen drawings, paintings, storyboards, moving-image works, puppets, maquettes, costumes and cinematic ephemera, not to mention an extensive film series spanning Burton’s 27-year career. 

Rock goddess Patti Smith was Johnny Depp's date, and they joined a really diverse group including Danny DeVito, Brooke Shields, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, David and Julia Koch and Zac Posen in singing Burton’s praises and cooing over his creativity.