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.

Thanks to TPA supporters Susan and Robert Morse this unique collection is now available worldwide in an easy-to-use, mobile friendly website. Both visual gallery and teaching archive, this all-new online resource will amplify the legacy of largely forgotten visual artists and engage educators, researchers and cinephiles in new and exciting ways.

Visit the Hollywood Backdrops Collection website.

To support this project, please contact our Development team at support@texasperformingarts.org.

IN THE NEWS
Boca Raton Museum of Art Dedicates New Exhibition to Hollywood’s Painted Backdrops - Below the Line
Hollywood movie backdrops premiere in South Florida - USA TODAY
Boca Raton Museum of Art to open 'Art of the Hollywood Backdrop' exhibit - WPBF News
'Art of the Hollywood Backdrop' Paints a Mood in Boca - MiamiArtZine
Forgotten Hollywood backdrops become star attraction - The Times of London
Florida museum features massive scenic backdrops from iconic films - New York Post
‘Art of the Hollywood Backdrop: Cinema’s Creative Legacy’ Review: Movie Backgrounds in the Foreground - Wall Street Journal
Backdrop, Front and Center! - Palm Beach Florida Weekly

Alcalde Docs | Setting the Scene from Texas Exes on YouTube.

The backstory on Hollywood movie backdrops from CBS Sunday Morning on YouTube.

Art of the Hollywood Backdrop from Boca Raton Museum of Art on YouTube.