Behind The Scenes: The Art Of The Hollywood Backdrop
The Bass Concert Hall stage turns gallery for your visit mid-century Hollywood. See twelve never-before publicly displayed historic paintings that reveal the lost art of Golden Age Hollywood.
In 2012, the Art Director’s Guild (ADG) Archives began the Backdrop Recovery Project, an effort to preserve the legacy of Hollywood’s motion picture scenic artists. This resulted in the preservation of 207 historic backings, creating the world’s most comprehensive archive of Hollywood scenic art history. ADG donated these historic drops to museums, motion picture archives, and academic institutions, including The University of Texas at Austin through the Texas Performing Arts scenic studio. Texas Performing Arts now houses 50 MGM backdrops used to educate the next generation of scenic artists for stage and screen.
The Texas Performing Arts collection from the Backdrop Recovery Project has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, in the Los Angeles Times, and in O, The Oprah Magazine.
Reserved One-hour Admission Times:
Thursday-Friday 2:30 pm & 4 pm
Saturday-Sunday & President’s Day 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 2:00 pm & 3:30 pm
Pricing:
Public – $12
Non-UT Student of any age – $5
UT Students, Faculty & Staff – Free
Healthcare Professionals – Free
Essential Workers – Free
Military – Free
Texas Inner Circle Members – Free