World's first and most extensive exhibition celebrating Marvel's visual and cultural impact to premiere at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture in April 2018
SEATTLE, Nov. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes will feature more than 300 original artifacts, including some of Marvel's most iconic and sought-after pages, costumes and props, many of which have never-before been seen by the public. These will be displayed in a major retrospective at the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle, opening on April 21, 2018.
The exhibition will tell the Marvel story through comics, film and other media, taking place as it celebrates 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and ahead of the 80th anniversary in 2019.
"Our show takes us from the origins of the Marvel Universe to the present, providing a chance to see some of the rarest and most precious objects to have survived from the past 80 years of pop culture history," says curator Ben Saunders about the exhibition, which is being produced by MoPOP, SC Exhibitions and Marvel Entertainment.
The exhibition will trace the story of the company and its influence on visual culture – including how it's responded to historical events and addressed wider issues such as gender, race and mental illness – as well as uncovering the narratives of individual characters such as Captain America, Spider-Man, Black Panther and Doctor Strange. It will honor the so-called "imaginauts" such as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who have made the Marvel saga one of the most expansive fictional universes ever created.
"Marvel transformed the idea of the Super Hero in the 1960s—and beyond—by ratcheting up the visual spectacle, emotional dynamism and philosophical sophistication of the action-adventure comics genre," says Brian Crosby, head of Marvel Themed Entertainment. "Marvel has always been a reflection of the world outside your own window and one of its most compelling messages has always been, that anyone—regardless of race, religion or gender—can be a Super Hero."
Immersive set pieces will bring the comic book world to life, and the exhibition will be accompanied by an immersive soundscape created by acclaimed composers Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer.
The exhibition has been curated by an outstanding team that includes three scholars of comics – Benjamin Saunders, Matthew J. Smith and Randy Duncan, all of whom are university professors and experts in their field. MoPOP curators Brooks Peck and Jacob McMurray, as well as renowned comics writers and editors Ann Nocenti and Danny Fingeroth, have also contributed.
"This is the largest exhibition ever staged at the Museum of Pop Culture," says Brooks Peck, curator, MoPOP. "We're thrilled to present more than 300 original artworks, props, costumes, and genuine relics of pop culture history, from the earliest incarnations of super heroes in comics to ground breaking movie moments reflecting the timeless appeal of the Marvel universe."
For more information, visit MoPOP.org/Marvel.
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ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF POP CULTURE (MoPOP)
MoPOP is a cutting-edge, nonprofit museum dedicated to the ideas and risk-taking that fuel contemporary popular culture. With its roots in rock 'n' roll, MoPOP serves as a gateway museum, reaching multi-generational audiences through collections, exhibitions and educational programs, and using interactive technologies to engage and empower its visitors. At MoPOP, artists, audiences and ideas converge, bringing understanding, interpretation and scholarship to the popular culture of our time. MoPOP is housed in a 140,000 square foot Frank Gehry-designed building. This spectacular, prominently visible structure has the presence of a monumental sculpture set amid the backdrop of the Seattle Center. For more information, visit MoPOP.org.
ABOUT SC EXHIBITIONS
SC Exhibitions creates exhibitions which travel worldwide, and hosts international exhibitions in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland. SC Exhibitions is a division of Semmel Concerts, the large German live entertainment producer. Since SC Exhibitions started touring its exhibitions TUTANKHAMUN – HIS TOMB AND HIS TREASURES; THE DISCOVERY OF KING TUT; and recently MAGIC CITY – THE ART OF THE STREET, they have reached an audience of more than seven million people worldwide, and built a strong international network within museums, science centers, cultural venues and the creative industries. The network is the basis for the biennial Touring Exhibitions Meeting, the world's only conference entirely dedicated to touring exhibitions.
About Marvel Entertainment, LLC
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over 78 years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information, visit www.marvel.com. © 2017 MARVEL
SOURCE Museum of Pop Culture
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