About the Exhibition

The Director's Inspiration gallery focuses on the filmography and cinematic influences of a director who has established a narrative and visual style that is unmistakably their own, traceable through bodies of work that become touchstones for other filmmakers.

Agnès Varda (1928–2019) was one of global cinema’s most radical and transformative artists. Known for her undeniably personal films, Varda drew inspiration from diverse sources. This gallery explores various influences on the filmmaker’s work including her background in photography, her passion for fine art later in life, as well as her ties to family, location, and social issues throughout her career. The gallery explores these themes through Varda’s personal artifacts, including original photographs, postcards, maps, scrapbooks, and props. At the heart of the gallery, a media installation inspired by Varda’s fondness of triptychs explores themes that appear throughout her body of work such as still imagery, family, and her beloved beaches.

Director’s Inspiration: Agnès Varda is located on Level 2 of the Stories of Cinema exhibition and is curated by Senior Exhibitions Curator Jessica Niebel with former Assistant Curator Ana Santiago and support from former Curatorial Assistant Manouchka Kelly Labouba.