Texas Performing Arts is home to the most extensive educational collection of Hollywood motion picture backdrops in the world. Comprised of 68 backings, the Hollywood Backdrop Collection includes original works from iconic and celebrated films such as The Sound of Music (20th Century Fox 1965), Ben Hur (MGM 1959), and North by Northwest (MGM 1958). Generously donated to Texas Performing Arts by J.C. Backings and the Art Directors Guild Archives’ Backdrop Recovery Project, the collection is a living legacy of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
As both a visual gallery and study resource, this forgotten legacy of Hollywood is now available to visual artists, educators, researchers, and cinephiles.
Help us maintain and expand this collection as we educate the next generation of great artists right here on the Forty Acres.