Wes Anderson at Prada Foundation

Wes Anderson’s films — known for their quirky visual style: symmetrical, colorful, and stunning dreamscapes — have been a staple of American culture since his 1998 breakout hit, Rushmore. So much so that the director’s vision has permeated the globe, thanks, in part, to the championing of friend and frequent collaborator, Miuccia Prada. An avid fan of Anderson’s work, the designer’s Italian fashion house and art Foundation seem to have found a friend in the director’s creative visions.

Since unveiling its new permanent Milan venue in May 2015, the Fondazione Prada has welcomed visitors to Bar Luce, a quintessential Milanese cafè seen through the eyes of Wes Anderson. Through this genius collaboration between architecture, design, art, and film, Bar Luce allows fans to put themselves in the middle of the director’s alternative reality. The café’s pastel tones, whimsical decor, and nod to Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in the vaulted glass roof, play in tandem with Prada’s brand identity.

Hot off the heels of Bar Luce’s undisputed success, the Fondazione has enlisted Anderson, once again, this time as a curator; offering the director a new platform by which to express himself. “Il sarcofago di Spitzmaus e altri tesori” (Spitzmaus Mummy in a Coffin and Other Treasures) is an exhibition project conceived by Wes Anderson and illustrator Juman Malouf.

Organized in collaboration with the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the exhibition features over 500 artworks and objects selected by the director and his collaborators, sourced from 12 collections at the Kunsthistorisches Museum and from 11 departments of the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna. Proposing new conversations between objects sourced from the featured institutions and their respective collections, the exhibition seeks to reveal unexpected parallels between the works included in the show and Anderson and Malouf’s creative universes. A must see exhibit that marries a multitude of works, time periods and visions, brought together under one roof.