26 MAY 2017Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) Director Chris Saines today announced ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ would open exclusively at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) from tomorrow until 3 September 2017.

Mr Saines said the exhibition was the first major Marvel exhibition in Australia and the largest ever presented in an art museum worldwide.

‘Curated by QAGOMA, the exhibition is drawn from Marvel Studios’ extensive archive as well as private and public collections including the Library of Congress, Washington DC. It will give audiences an unprecedented insight into the rich fictional world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,’ he said.

‘‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ encompasses the entire ground floor of GOMA with more than 500 objects including more than 60 original costumes (worn by actors including Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Tilda Swinton), comic books, props, spectacular set design, concept and keyframe art, clips from Marvel Studios films and bespoke hands-on interactives.’

‘Must-see highlights include a large-scale diorama with costumes, props and clips from Captain America: The First Avenger, multiple versions of Iron Man’s suits, the imposing three-metre-tall Hulkbuster armour, and never-before-seen items from the set of Thor: Ragnarok including Hulk’s bed and the majestic Asgardian throne room,’ Mr Saines said.

Amanda Slack-Smith, Associate Curator, Australian Cinémathèque, QAGOMA, said the exhibition addressed three key themes ‘The Cinematic Assembled’, ‘Decoding the Universe’ and ‘Behind the Scenes’.

'It profiles legendary Marvel characters and their complex personas, focusing on Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow and Hulk, as well as the Avengers, Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy,’ Ms Slack-Smith said.

'In addition to looking at the cinematic experience and the larger narratives at play in the films, the exhibition highlights the work of artists and creative teams behind the much-loved stories – including production design, storyboarding and pre-visualisation, costume and prop design, and visual effects.”

Kevin Feige, Producer, Marvel Studios, said the company was thrilled to be working with QAGOMA to bring to life this unique exhibition.

‘The support we’ve received from Queensland and the country of Australia has been incredible. After filming Thor: Ragnarok on Queensland’s Gold Coast we couldn’t think of a better location than GOMA to stage the largest Marvel exhibition ever.’ Mr Feige said.

Throughout the exhibition season a retrospective of Marvel Cinematic Universe films will screen in QAGOMA’s Australian Cinémathèque including 2017 releases Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The exhibition will open until 9.00pm every Wednesday evening and an Up Late program will be presented on Friday evenings from 28 July to 1 September.

For more information or to purchase tickets to ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’, the film program or Up Late visit www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/marvel.

'Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe' has been organised by the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in collaboration with Marvel Entertainment. The exhibition has received vital support from the Queensland Government though Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) and Arts Queensland. The Gallery acknowledges the support of UNIQLO – Principal Partner and exclusive sponsor of ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ Up Late.