Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities Explores Collecting and the Wunderkammer

Guillermo del Toro's Netflix series 'Cabinet of Curiosities,' released in late October, reimagines the concept of the Wunderkammer across eight episodes. Del Toro introduces each episode from his Bleak House in California, standing beside a massive wooden cabinet with secret compartments, echoing classic cabinets of curiosities. While some episodes feature traditional oddities like rare books, a mysterious pendant, and paintings that open Lovecraftian dimensions, others shift focus to people as the true collections. Del Toro asks, 'What happens when the collector becomes the collection?' The series, directed by various filmmakers, presents 'existential cabinets of wonders' where everyday lives are invaded by the weird. Luca Cableri, owner of Theatrum Mundi gallery in Arezzo, Italy, comments on the series, noting del Toro's personal taste for classic movie monsters and the American trend of collecting oddities and macabre objects. Cableri emphasizes the importance of storytelling in collecting, citing examples like a Martian meteorite fragment and a Hopi initiation mask. He notes that while some episodes are too splatter for his gallery, many objects at Theatrum Mundi—such as Egyptian artifacts and Michael Jackson's hat—could inspire similar tales. Cableri has never been contacted by del Toro but has purchased props from his films at international auctions.