Museum Figure Displays: How to Define the Scope of a Commission, from a Single Figure to a Complete Museum

A museum may know exactly which moment in a historical figure’s life it wants to portray while the design of the gallery is still taking shape. An exhibition contractor may approach us at a different point, with an approved layout, a vehicle already selected for display, and a precise question about how to position a mechanic beneath it. Both projects call for a custom figure, but they need different information, deliverables, and installation arrangements.

At DXDF, we suggest clarifying three points before comparing quotations. Which design decisions have already been approved? Which parts of the work will the supplier undertake? What will the museum or exhibition contractor use to review and accept the finished work? Our projects in Tashkent, Le Mans, and Sochi illustrate how those decisions change as the commission expands from an individual figure to a complete museum.

1. Defining the Historical Figure: From Source Research to Approval Before Production

In 2019, we delivered the first group of custom wax figures for AKFA Group’s Yulduzlar Muzeyi in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The museum displays local writers, poets, musicians, and historical figures alongside international celebrities. After opening, the museum commissioned additional figures from us in successive years.

For a collection that will grow in stages, one of the most important decisions is which period of each person’s life the exhibition will portray. Consider a gallery about a writer’s first published work. The clearest surviving portrait in the museum’s collection might show the writer decades later. That photograph is a useful source, but the exhibition team still needs references for the younger person visitors will see at the desk.

Our process begins with the material the client already has, whether that is a set of photographs, historical documents, or a single dated portrait. We review those sources against the period and event the exhibition intends to depict, then supplement them where more detail is needed. With those references in hand, we work with the client to confirm the figure’s expression, hairstyle, clothing, pose, and props, including how an object will be held or used. Production begins once we and the client have confirmed those details.

2. Positioning Figures Around Collection Objects: Pose and Placement at M24 in Le Mans

We made 23 realistic silicone figures for the M24 motorsport museum in Le Mans, France. In one maintenance scene, a mechanic lies beneath a race car while another works at a wheel with a wrench. The pose of each figure depends on the vehicle. Ground clearance determines how the first mechanic fits beneath the chassis. For the second, the position of the wheel and the point where the wrench meets it determine the angles of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

When the museum supplies the car, a prop maker supplies the tool, and we make the figure, all three parties need to work from the same measurements and placement drawing. The diameter of the handle affects the shape of the hand. A change in the car’s final position affects the reach of the arm. If the tool is still being selected, identifying that open dimension before the clay model is approved tells everyone which detail must wait for the final specification.

Another M24 display draws on a Team Lotus photograph to recreate a tactical discussion beside the team transporter during the 1970 German Grand Prix. Here, the relationship between the figures matters as much as their individual likenesses. A small change in the spacing or direction of a figure’s gaze can make it difficult for a visitor to see who is speaking and who is listening.

When reviewing comparable work, ask to see close-ups and a wide photograph taken from the visitor’s approach. The close-ups show the modelling of a face or a hand around a tool. The wider view shows whether the vehicle obscures the action, whether the figures are correctly positioned around it, and whether the exchange between them is clear. Ask the supplier which elements it delivered and how it coordinated placement with the teams responsible for the objects, scenery, lighting, and installation. That gives you a basis for deciding which responsibilities to include in your own tender.

3. Defining the Commission: From a Single Display to a Complete Museum

An Existing Display: Using Exhibition Drawings to Allocate Fabrication and Installation Work

When the exhibition design is already in place, the most useful starting documents are the latest plans and elevations, the dimensions of the collection objects, and a marked primary viewing direction. They allow us to identify where the figure meets an object or display structure and which dimensions the exhibition contractor has already fixed.

A seated figure is a practical example. The seat height and depth affect the pose, while the museum’s permission to attach anything to the chair affects the fixing design. Before quoting, the parties can agree who will supply the chair, who will verify its dimensions, and who will position and secure the figure on site. The same discussion establishes whether clothing, handheld props, bases, and installation belong in the figure maker’s scope.

A New Museum: Coordinating Themed Spaces, Visitor Circulation, and Figure Placement

For the Dejavu Wax Museum in Sochi, Russia, our commission covered early project planning, themed interior design, and delivery of the complete collection of custom wax figures. At this scale, the figure schedule and the floor plan need to be reviewed together. Each figure occupies a particular point in the exhibition narrative, requires room for its setting, and needs a viewing position from which visitors can understand the scene.

For an overseas project, the tender should also identify which components will ship with the figures, which will be fabricated locally, and who will check the site before installation. A whole-museum commission still needs a clear division of work between the appointed supplier, the client, and local contractors.

4. Comparing Exhibition Proposals: Deliverables, Price Coverage, and Acceptance Criteria

Two quotations can list the same number of figures and cover substantially different work. One might cover dressed figures ready for collection at the workshop. Another might include packing, freight, positioning, and installation at each display. Asking bidders to complete the same scope table makes those differences visible before the contract is awarded.

5. Starting a Project Discussion: The Exhibition Idea and Available References

If your project is still at the idea stage, tell us whom you would like to portray, which moment in history you want to explore, or which collection object prompted the exhibition. A name, a photograph with an approximate date, or a short exhibition outline is enough to begin. We can discuss what visitors should see, review the material you already have, and identify the references that would help develop the idea.

If you have selected a display position, send a site photograph or floor plan with the location marked and an arrow showing where visitors will approach. Object dimensions, exhibition drawings, and a target opening date are also helpful when available. Share what you have with DXDF, and we can use the exhibition content and site conditions to define a suitable scope of work and agree on the next step.