“Without artifice she can be a man, a young boy or a woman. She is the most contemporary and corporeal being that I know who goes beyond the status of actress to embrace that of author.”
That’s French fashion historian Olivier Saillard speaking about Tilda Swinton, a chameleon in acting, fashion and more who is getting her own exhibition this fall at the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam, alongside screenings, performances and live conversations. It opens Sept. 28 and runs through Feb. 8, with Swinton expected to show up in person every month.
Teaming with Saillard for a multiday session, Swinton is to interact with red-carpet dresses, family heirlooms and items from her personal wardrobe, including her christening gown.
“The performance will be almost documentary and strictly realistic,” Saillard says. “By taking inventory aloud of her clothes, Tilda will share the memories each one evokes.”
Tilda Swinton in 1991, captured by Jacqueline Lucas Palmer.
©Jacqueline Lucas Palmer/Courtesy of the artist and Eye Filmmuseum
Saillard first connected with Swinton through artist Katerina Jebb, emailing the British actress with a proposition to perform with clothes from the collection of Paris fashion museum Palais Galliera, which cannot be worn for conservation reason, therefore requiring inventive ways to interact with garments and divulge their secrets.
“Her particular physique can tend towards the sublime and sometimes toward the disturbing,” Saillard muses. “She can look like a young woman and the complete opposite, without makeup suddenly seeming and playing an elderly person with realism.”
This marks the first time in its 75 years of history that the Eye Filmmuseum has dedicated such extensive attention to the creative influence of a single performer.
A still from a Derek Jarman recording Tilda Swinton in 1990.
© James Mackay/Courtesy of the artist and Eye Filmmuseum
“She is not just an actor, model or performer with an iconic appearance and endless talent, but an active, collaborative partner. That is unique as a creative force and as an individual,” says Bregtje van der Haak, director of the museum, which is housed in a futuristic white building reminiscent of a spaceship.
Indeed, when the museum approached Swinton for ideas for the exhibition, “she indicated that it should not be about her, but with her. And, by extension, with others as well,” van der Haak said. “She wanted to provide insight into her relationships, her working methods, and the way in which friendships lead to collaborations and films.”
Photographer Tim Walker and filmmakers including Petro Almodóvar, Jim Jarmusch, Joanna Hogg, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Luca Guadagnino all contributed special objects or projects, including installations. Hogg is to present a reconstruction of Swinton’s 1980s London apartment, while Guadagnino is contributing a new short film and a sculpture of her.
Tilda Swinton with Olivier Saillard in Scotland, 2024.
© Ruediger Glatz/Courtesy of Eye Filmmuseum
Swinton has appeared in more than 90 films, numereous fashion shoots and even a music video for electronic duo Orbital.
Asked why musicians, photographers, fashion designers, historians and filmmakers clamor to work with Swinton, van der Haak notes “it is precisely this diversity in Tilda’s work that shows how important she is within our collective visual culture. She is well known for her many different guises and activities.”
While she’s a master at exuding icy glamour in front of the camera, Swinton is prized for being approachable and friendly IRL, viewing filmmaking as a long-term process of collaboration and exchange.
© Casper Sejersen, Courtesy of the artist and Eye Filmmusem
“She wants to inspire others and show that film is essentially ‘a few friends and a camera,’” van der Haak says. “She has many interests and many creative relationships. This allows her to navigate easily within disciplines and genres and to develop herself. And she always involves others in this process. She is generous, dedicated, driven and open. When she or someone else has a good idea, she often succeeds in bringing it to fruition. This has resulted in a large body of work and a large network that spans many decades and media.”
Tilda Swinton in Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die.”
Frederick Elmes / Focus Features
Among the 40 films that will be screened are “Carravaggio,” “Caprice,” “The Souvenir” and “The Eternal Daughter.”
Among unexpected elements on display are a painting by the late film director Derek Jarman and an engraved mirror he gifted to Swinton, and a new series of Walker photos of the actress at her family home wearing her ancestors’ clothes.
“When Tilda works with another artist, 1+1 becomes 3,” van der Haak marvels. “She is a great initiator and improver. We have experienced this, and designers, photographers and brands certainly will have experienced it, too. She is not just an actor, model or performer with an iconic appearance and endless talent, but an active, collaborative partner. That is unique as a creative force and as an individual.”
Tilda Swinton in the great outdoors.
©Sandro Kopp, Courtesy of the artist and Eye Filmmuseum
