The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has obtained several new acquisitions to its already extensive collection, housed at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, the organization announced Tuesday.
Included among the additions are costumes from the most recent Best Picture Oscar winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once”; more than 600 rare silent film posters; personal film collections and film-related materials from producer Gale Anne Hurd, director Harold Ramis, filmmaker Gregg Araki and film scholar Kevin Brownlow; conceptual art for “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial”; and more than 150 hand-painted animation artworks dating back to 1932, donated by Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw.
The latter donation will be celebrated with the renaming of the Margaret Herrick Library’s Graphic Arts Department as the Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw Graphic Arts Department.
“We are thrilled and honored to expand the Academy’s collection with these exceptional pieces,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer said. “To be housed at our archive, library and museum, these vital components of the filmmaking process highlight the collaborative disciplines that develop and produce the movies we love. They also demonstrate the Academy’s unique capacity to preserve the full range of film history formats. We are incredibly grateful to our donors for their remarkable gifts to the Academy and for their commitment to illuminating our film history.”
“These new additions to our collections represent the diverse array of films and filmmakers we are focused on collecting. They support our goal to expose our audiences – from scholars and students to filmmakers and film lovers – to materials that spark joy, inspiration and exemplify the rich history of the cinema,” said Jacqueline Stewart, Director and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. “We are excited that these iconic collections will be available for future research and public engagement.”
The historical preservation efforts of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been underway since 1927, and the organization’s collection contains more than 13 million photographs, 8.3 million clippings, 95,000 screenplays, 73,500 posters, 145,000 production and costume design drawings, 45,000 sound recordings, 39,000 books, 1,900 special collections, 242,000 film and video assets and 8,000 props, process and production items representing motion picture technology, costume design, production design, makeup and hairstyling, visual effects, promotional materials and beyond.
