When Heath Ledger died in January 2008 at the tragically incomplete ago of 28 there was a lot of public mourning. I think because the guy was so enigmatic in this very human, appealing way: he seemed to be sensitive and vulnerable and at the same time droll and macho, and maybe a little dangerous. And so fucking talented. This complex allure is kinda similar to the way people still feel about James Dean, another hugely talented actor who died way before his time; also like Dean the fascination with Heath Ledger – the actor and the person – has only become more pronounced since he died.
With the support of Ledger’s family, the Western Australia Museum is planning an exhibition honouring the life of Ledger in 2012. According to the Sydney Morning Herald the items displayed will include the diary he wrote while developing his performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight, as well as other personal items, film memorabilia, and Australian painter Vincent Fantauzzo’s haunting Archibald Prize entry of the late actor.
The exhibition is bound to inspire an interstate – and international – pilgrimage of Ledger’s fans and friends to Perth once it opens.
WA Arts Minister John Day said, “As well as the stories from his youth and early career, the exhibition will document his aspirations as a director, his talented work creating music videos and his formidable abilities as a chess player and photographer.”
“It will also provide an insight into the scope of Heath’s interests and achievements outside his film career.”
Title Image- Still of Heath Ledger in “Brokeback Mountain”
