TIM BURTON, ARTIST, CREATOR AND DIRECTOR OF 'BATMAN RETURNS', 'NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS' & 'SLEEPY HOLLOW'  AND THE RECENT BIG HIT,  'ALICE IN WONDERLAND' TO NAME A FEW, UNVEILS HIS ART AT NEW EXHIBIT AT THE MOMA IN NEW YORK CITY.

It is a real shame that photography is not allowed inside the hallowed (or not so hallowed in the case of Tim Burton's art and vivid imagination) walls of his new exhibit at the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York City.

Walking through his exhibit is like entering the mind of a bad boy. A very, very, bad boy.  Mind you, I say 'bad' not 'naughty'. Burton's art, sculpture and films are inspired by a mind that thrives on some very dark humor indeed. The sculpture and art is exquisite down to the last detail, colors are fantastical, edges are sharp, and, Yes, Alice, those teeth do bite, those scissorhands do cut.

Some in the crowd that waited upwards of an hour to get inside were obvious die-hard Burton fans, wearing everything from black Burton inspired clothes and bags to hair color that was straight out of 'Nightmare Before Christmas'. There was an overabundance of young art students, pads in hand and wearing somber note-taking expressions. There were parents with their little ones 'Oh look, a Christmas house, let's see what's inside'. I had news for that mother. She really didn't want to show 'Johnny' what that house contained. I wondered what her answer would be to the obvious questions once that dark place was glimpsed. I left without finding out, leaving that conversation to my own imagination.

And imagination is what this exhibit is all about. It's dark, it's hysterically funny, it's sweet, it's pathetic, it's about the human experience and those dark places we all must confront at some time in our lives. Burton paints them all in pretty colors, puts ratty clothes on them, and sends them out to play. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

There are some wonderful 'props' from some of his movies at this show, including the Penguin's very dark baby carriage (very creepy indeed), Batman masks, Catwoman gloves, Edward Scissorhands costume, the Pumpkinhead scarecrow from 'Sleepy Hollow' and so much more. I highly recommend this show to anyone who has a sense of humor about life. It is a huge exhibit as art exhibits go, and I suggest you come early enough to spend as much time as possible inside, leisurely exploring each sculpture and painting. Expect a long wait to get in as word of mouth spreads. The show is to run for six months.

The photos in this iReport were taken in the outside lobby where photography was allowed. The MOMA is located  at 11 W 53rd Street, New York, NY. Tickets to the exhibit may be purchased online at http://www.moma.org  There are some great photos of the installation of the Burton show on the website.