At Fondazione Prada's experimental hub for visual arts and technology, over 1,000 artifacts come together in "A Kind of Language," an unprecedented exploration of storyboard art. Opening January 30 through September 8, 2025, at the Osservatorio in Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the exhibition spans nearly a century of cinematic development.
Curator Melissa Harris assembles a visual journey tracing storyboarding's evolution from animation tool to cinema's universal visual language. From Georges Méliès to Hayao Miyazaki, the collection reveals cinema's evolution from sketch to spectacle.
As Harris explains, "For many, storyboarding is an integral part of the process: visually setting a scene and then plotting out its ebbs and flows may help the film team consider relationships between characters...or realize how to convey the essence of a particular segment...More technically, storyboards can help the filmmaker to determine the most effective angles for lighting and shooting or the best use of dissolves and other potential special effects."
Storyboards by Rob Gibbs, Jason Katz, Bruce Morris and Peter Sohn
(Courtesy of Pixar Animation Studios)
©Disney/Pixar
The architectural design by Berlin firm Sub orchestrates a cinematic journey: custom drafting tables and their suspended counterparts create an optical dialogue with the Galleria's iconic dome. This spatial choreography reflects Osservatorio's mission of merging technology with cultural expression, inviting visitors to become part of cinema's visual narrative.
Masterworks chart storyboarding's evolution: from Albert Nozaki's dramatic Red Sea parting in "The Ten Commandments" to Max Douy's visionary concepts for Jodorowsky's "Dune." The medium continues to evolve through "animatics," where digital technology breathes life into static frames.
Poster drawing by Henri Alekans, 1987
Courtesy of Wim Wenders Stiftung
© 1987 Road Movies – Argos Films
Courtesy of Wim Wenders Stiftung – Argos Films
The exhibition's comprehensive scope spans works by over 50 contributors—directors, cinematographers, visual artists, choreographers, and animators. Cultural divides emerge in technique: European storyboards favor artistic expression, while Hollywood prioritizes production efficiency.
Storyboard by Jay Clarke
Courtesy of Wes Anderson © Searchlight Pictures
From Disney's pioneering sketches to Edgar Clement's intricate vision for Iñárritu's "Bardo," storyboards evolve from production tool to artistic expression. Satyajit Ray's lyrical drawings for "Song of the Little Road" crystallize this transformation.
Following its Milan debut, the exhibition travels to Prada Rong Zhai in Shanghai (November 2025-January 2026). A companion publication, featuring Harris's curatorial insight and Sub's visual study, documents this pivotal exploration of cinema's visual language.
Visitor Information: Osservatorio, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 AM-8 PM fondazioneprada.org
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