The
Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in
motion pictures. The
Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in
art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best
art direction went to a film from 1999.
This award was originally for Interior Decoration
With the awards for 1940 the award was divided into separate awrds for black-and-white and color movies.
- 1940 Black-and-white Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse - Pride and Prejudice
- 1940 Color Vincent Korda - The Thief of Bagdad
- 1941 Black-and-White Richard Day, Nathan Juran, Thomas Little - How Green Was My Valley
- Perry Ferguson, Van Nest Polglase, Al Fields, Darrell Silvera - Citizen Kane
- Martin Obzina, Jack Otterson, Russell A. Gausman - Flame of New Orleans
- Hans Dreier, Robert Usher, Samuel M. Comer - Hold Back the Dawn
- Lionel Banks, George Montgomery - Ladies in Retirement
- Stephen Goosson, Howard Bristol - The Little Foxes
- John Hughes, Fred MacLean - Sergeant York
- John DuCasse Schultze, Edward G. Boyle - Son of Monte Cristo
- Alexander Golitzen, Richard Irvine - Sundown
- Vincent Korda, Julia Heron - That Hamilton Woman
- Cedric Gibbons, Randall Duell, Edwin B. Willis - When Ladies Meet
- 1941 Color Cedric Gibbons, Urie McCleary, Edwin B. Willis - Blossoms in the Dust
- 1942 Black-and-White Richard Day, Joseph Wright, Thomas Little - This Above All
- Max Parker, Mark-Lee Kirk, Casey Roberts - George Washington Slept Here
- Albert S. D'Agostino, Al Fields, Darrell Silvera - The Magnificent Ambersons
- Perry Ferguson, Howard Bristol - The Pride of the Yankees
- Cedric Gibbons, Randall Duell, Edwin B. Willis, Jack Moore - Random Harvest
- Boris Leven - The Shanghai Gesture
- Ralph Berger, Emile Kuri - Silver Queen
- John B. Goodman, Jack Otterson, Russell A. Gausman, Edward R. Robinson - The Spoilers
- Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson, Samuel M. Comer - Take a Letter, Darling
- Lionel Banks, Rudolph Sternad, Fay Babcock - The Talk of the Town
- 1942 Color Richard Day, Joseph Wright, Thomas Little - My Gal Sal
- 1943 Black-and-White James Basevi, William Darling, Thomas Little - The Song of Bernadette
- Hans Dreier, Ernst Fegte, Bertram Granger - Five Graves to Cairo
- Albert S. D'Agostino, Carroll Clark, Darrell Silvera, Harley Miller - Flight for Freedom
- Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Edwin B. Willis, Hugh Hunt - Madame Curie
- Carl Weyl, George J. Hopkins - Mission to Moscow
- Perry Ferguson, Howard Bristol - The North Star
- 1943 Color Alexander Golitzen, John B. Goodman, Russell A. Gausman, Ira S. Webb - Phantom of the Opera
- 1944 Black-and-White Cedric Gibbons, William Ferrari, Paul Huldschinsky, Edwin B. Willis - Gaslight
- Lionel Banks, Walter Holscher, Joseph Kish - Address Unknown
- John J. Hughes, Fred MacLean - The Adventures of Mark Twain
- Perry Ferguson, Julia Heron - Casanova Brown
- Lyle Wheeler, Leland Fuller, Thomas Little - Laura
- Hans Dreier, Robert Usher, Samuel M. Comer - No Time for Love
- Mark-Lee Kirk, Victor A. Gangelin - Since You Went Away
- Albert S. D'Agostino, Carroll Clark, Darrell Silvera, Claude Carpenter - Step Lively
- 1944 Color Wiard Ihnen, Thomas Little - Wilson
- John B. Goodman, Alexander Golitzen, Russell A. Gausman, Ira S. Webb - The Climax
- Lionel Banks, Cary Odell, Fay Babcodk - Cover Girl
- Charles Novi, Jack McConaghy - The Desert Song
- Cedric Gibbons, Daniel B. Cathcart, Edwin B. Willis, Richard Pefferle - Kismet
- Hans Dreier, Raoul Pene du Bois, Ray Moyer - Lady in the Dark
- Ernst Fegte, Howard Bristol - The Princess and the Pirate
- 1945 Black-and-White Wiard Ihnen, A. Roland Fields - Blood on the Sun
- Albert S. D'Agostino, Jack Okey, Darrell Silvera, Claude Carpenter - Experiment Perilous
- James Basevi, William Darling, Thomas Little, Frank E. Hughes - The Keys of the Kingdom
- Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson, Samuel M. Comer, Ray Moyer - Love Letters
- Cedric Gibbons, Hans Peters, Edwin B. Willis, John Bonar, Hugh Hunt - The Picture of Dorian Gray
- 1945 Color Hans Dreier, Ernst Fegte, Samuel M. Comer - Frenchman's Creek
- 1946 Black-and-White William Darling, Lyle Wheeler, Thomas Little, Frank E. Hughes - Anna and the King of Siam
- 1946 Color Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Edwin B. Willis - The Yearling
Beginning with 1947 movies the name of the award was changed to
Art Direction - Set Decoration.
- 1947 Black-and-White John Bryan, Wilfred Shingleton - Great Expectations
- 1947 Color Alfred Junge - Black Narcissus
- 1948 Black-and-White Roger K. Furse, Carmen Dillon - Hamlet
- 1948 Color Hein Heckroth, Arthur Lawson - The Red Shoes
- 1949 Black-and-White Harry Horner, John Meehan, Emile Kuri - The Heiress
- 1949 Color Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Edwin B. Willis, Jack D. Moore - Little Women
- 1950 Black-and-White Hans Dreier, John Meehan, Samuel M. Comer, Ray Moyer - Sunset Blvd.
- 1950 Color Hans Dreier, Walter Tyler, Samuel M. Comer, Ray Moyer - Samson And Delilah
- 1951 Black-and-White Richard Day, George James Hopkins - A Streetcar Named Desire
- 1951 Color Cedric Gibbons, Preston Ames, Edwin B. Willis, Keogh Gleason - American in Paris">An American in Paris
- Lyle Wheeler, George Davis, Thomas Little, Paul S. Fox - David and Bathsheba
- Lyle Wheeler, Leland Fuller, Joseph C. Wright, Thomas Little, Walter M. Scott - On the Riviera
- William A. Horning, Cedric Gibbons, Edward Carfagno, Hugh Hunt - Quo Vadis
- Hein Heckroth - Tales of Hoffmann
- 1952 Black-and-White Cedric Gibbons, Edward Carfagno, Edwin B. Willis, Keogh Gleason - The Bad and the Beautiful
- 1952 Color Paul Sheriff, Marcel Vertes - Moulin Rouge
- Richard Day, Antoni Clavé, Howard Bristol - Hans Christian Andersen
- Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Edwin B. Willis, Arthur Krams - The Merry Widow
- Frank Hotaling, John McCarthy, Jr., Charles Thompson - The Quiet Man
- Lyle Wheeler, John DeCuir, Thomas Little, Paul S. Fox - The Snows of Kilimanjaro
- 1953 Black-and-White Cedric Gibbons, Edward Carfagno, Edwin B. Willis, Hugh Hunt - Julius Caesar
- 1953 Color Lyle Wheeler, George W. Davis, Walter M. Scott, Paul S. Fox - The Robe
- Alfred Junge, Hans Peters. John Jarvis - Knights of the Round Table
- Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Edwin B. Willis, Arthur Krams - Lili
- Cedric Gibbons, Preston Ames, Edward Carfagno, Gabriel Scognamillo, Edwin B. Willis, Keogh Gleason, Arthur Krams, Jack D. Moore - The Story of Three Loves
- Cedric Gibbons, Urie McCleary, Edwin B. Willis, Jack D. Moore - Young Bess
- 1954 Black-and-White Richard Day - On the Waterfront
- 1954 Color John Meehan, Emile Kuri - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Cedric Gibbons, Preston Ames, Edwin B. Willis, Keogh Gleason - Brigadoon
- Lyle Wheeler, Leland Fuller, Walter M. Scott, Paul S. Fox - Desirée
- Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson, Samuel M. Comer, Ray Moyer - Red Garters
- Malcolm Bert, Gene Allen, Irene Sharaff, George James Hopkins - Is Born">A Star Is Born
- 1955 Black-and-White Hal Pereira, Tambi Larsen, Samuel M. Comer, Arthur Krams - The Rose Tattoo
- 1955 Color William Flannery, Jo Mielziner, Robert Priestley - Picnic
- Lyle Wheeler, John DeCuir, Walter M. Scott, Paul S. Fox - Daddy Long Legs
- Oliver Smith, Joseph C. Wright, Howard Bristol - Guys and Dolls
- Lyle Wheeler, George W. Davis, Walter M. Scott, Jack Stubbs - Is a Many-Splendored Thing">Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
- Hal Pereira, Joseph McMillan Johnson, Samuel M. Comer, Arthur Krams - To Catch a Thief
- 1956 Black-and-White Cedric Gibbons, Malcolm F. Brown, Edwin B. Willis, F. Keogh Gleason - Somebody Up There Likes Me
- 1956 Color Lyle R. Wheeler, John Decuir, Walter M. Scott, Paul S. Fox - The King and I
- James W. Sullivan, Ken Adam, Ross J. Dowd - Around the World in 80 Days
- Boris Leven, Ralph S. Hurst - Giant
- Cedric Gibbons, Hans Peters, Preston Ames, Edwin B. Willis, F. Keogh Gleason - Lust for Life
- Hal Pereira, Walter H. Tyler, Albert Nozaki, Samuel M. Comer, Ray Moyer - The Ten Commandments
For 1957 films this award became a single award.
- 1957 Ted Haworth, Robert Priestley - Sayonara
- Hal Pereira, George W. Davis, Samuel M. Comer, Ray Moyer - Funny Face
- William A. Horning, Gene Allen, Edwin B. Willis, Richard Pefferle - Les Girls
- Walter Holscher, William Kiernan, Louis Diage - Pal Joey
- William A. Horning, Urie McCleary, Edwin B. Willis, Hugh Hunt - Raintree County
- 1958 William A. Horning, Preston Ames, Henry Grace, F. Keogh Gleason - Gigi
With the 1959 films this category was again divided in two
- 1959 Black-and-White Lyle R. Wheeler, George W. Davis, Walter M. Scott, Stuart A. Reiss - The Diary of Anne Frank
- 1959 Color William A. Horning, Edward Carfagno, Hugh Hunt - Ben-Hur
- 1960 Black-and-White Alexander Trauner, Edward G. Boyle - The Apartment
- 1960 Color Alexander Golitzen, Eric Orbom, Russell A. Gausman, Julia Heron - Spartacus
- 1961 Black-and-White Harry Horner, Gene Callahan - The Hustler
- 1961 Color Boris Leven, Victor A. Gangelin - West Side Story
- 1962 Black-and-White Alexander Golitzen, Henry Bumstead, Oliver Emert - To Kill a Mockingbird
