History of Unfinished creative work in Timeline
An unfinished creative work is an incomplete artistic endeavor, be it a painting, novel, or musical piece, left uncompleted by its creator. This incompletion may stem from a deliberate choice, indefinite postponement, or external factors like the creator's death. These works often spark conjecture about their intended final form and have, at times, been posthumously completed by others. Unfinished works can significantly impact their respective genres and inspire new creations. It differs from 'incomplete work,' which refers to a finished piece that has since lost parts of itself.
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1913: Start of the Russian constructivism movement
In 1913, the Russian constructivism movement started and was later taught in architecture schools.
1913: Barcelona Cathedral Completion
In 1913, the dome and central tower of the Barcelona Cathedral were finished, 615 years after construction began in 1298.
1926: Turandot premiere
In 1926, Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot premiered, with the missing music for the finale provided by Franco Alfano.
1935: Death of Alban Berg
Alban Berg died in 1935, having not yet finished orchestrating the third act of his opera Lulu.
April 1945: Death of Franklin D. Roosevelt
On April 12, 1945, Elizabeth Shoumatoff's portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt was left unfinished when Roosevelt died later that day.
1946: First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC
In 1946, John von Neumann created the First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC, a 101-page manuscript, which was never completed but greatly influenced postwar computer development.
1962: Difficult production and death of Marilyn Monroe
In 1962, Something's Got to Give, a film with a difficult production, included the firing and rehiring of Marilyn Monroe, who later died before filming started. Without the delays, the film might have been completed.
1966: Recording of Smile begins
In 1966, The Beach Boys began recording Smile, intended to be the followup to the album Pet Sounds.
1967: The Beach Boys abandon Smile project
In 1967, The Beach Boys abandoned the Smile album project due to Brian Wilson's mental health issues and friction within the band.
1969: The Beatles start working on Get Back
In 1969, after releasing their self-titled album the year before, The Beatles began working on an album entitled Get Back, which was never completed.
1977: Publication of The Silmarillion
In 1977, Christopher Tolkien, with the help of Guy Gavriel Kay, published a final version of J. R. R. Tolkien's unfinished work, The Silmarillion.
1977: Release of Combat
In 1977, the game Combat was bundled with the Atari VCS.
1978: Release of The Lord of the Rings animated adaptation
In 1978, the animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings was released but was not viewed by the studio as a commercial success, thus a sequel was not funded, leaving the story incomplete.
1979: The Muppet Movie release and Karen Carpenter's recording
In 1979, Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams wrote "The Rainbow Connection" for Jim Henson to sing as Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie. Karen Carpenter later recorded a cover of this song.
1979: Full version of Lulu performed
In 1979, a full version of Alban Berg's opera Lulu was performed, with the orchestration for Act 3 being completed by Friedrich Cerha using Berg's sketches.
1980: Publication of Unfinished Tales
In 1980, Christopher Tolkien published another posthumous collection of his father's unfinished work, entitled Unfinished Tales.
1980: Abandonment of Doctor Who serial Shada
In 1980, the Doctor Who serial Shada was abandoned after strike action prevented access to the studio, and rearranging filming was deemed less important than recording Christmastime programming.
1981: Omission of "The Rainbow Connection" from album
In 1981, Karen Carpenter's cover of "The Rainbow Connection" was omitted from The Carpenters' album, Made in America, because Karen didn't like the song, according to Richard Carpenter.
1982: Publication of The History of Middle-earth
Between 1982 and 1996, Christopher Tolkien published twelve volumes of The History of Middle-earth, a substantial portion of which is unfinished and incomplete drafts.
1983: Karen Carpenter's Death
Karen Carpenter died in 1983, leaving behind a multitude of unfinished work.
October 1985: Death of Orson Welles
Orson Welles died on October 10, 1985, while working on The Other Side of the Wind and The Dreamers.
1986: Publication of The Garden of Eden
In 1986, Charles Scribner's sons published a version of Ernest Hemingway's The Garden of Eden that omitted two-thirds of the original manuscript, which scholars often disapprove of.
1986: Release of Defender of the Crown with disabled features
In 1986, Cinemaware released Defender of the Crown before all features were completed due to a strict deadline and the loss of two programmers.
March 1990: Assassination of Gerald Bull
In March 1990, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's supergun design by Gerald Bull was never fully constructed after Bull's assassination.
1991: Zoltán Göncz's Reconstruction
In 1991, Zoltán Göncz used the form of a permutation fugue to make an argument about the structure of Johann Sebastian Bach's unfinished The Art of Fugue.
1992: Release of incomplete Shada on VHS
In 1992, an incomplete version of the Doctor Who serial Shada was released on VHS, linking filmed scenes with narration to describe the missing scenes.
1995: Release of "Interpretations" compilation album
In 1995, Richard Carpenter released the "Interpretations" compilation album, which included Karen Carpenter's lead vocal for "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again." The lead had been lost on a mislabelled tape for years, and strings, piano, and backup singers were added to Karen's vocal.
1996: Publication of The History of Middle-earth
Between 1982 and 1996, Christopher Tolkien published twelve volumes of The History of Middle-earth, a substantial portion of which is unfinished and incomplete drafts.
1999: Preview of Amen: The Awakening
In 1999, Amen: The Awakening had an extensive preview written in PC Paradox magazine, including numerous screenshots, which generated a lot of interest in the project, but it was later cancelled.
1999: Unbuilt Ruins exhibition
In 1999, Kent Larson's exhibition "Unbuilt Ruins: Digital Interpretations of Eight Projects by Louis I. Kahn" showcased computer images of designs completed by Louis Kahn but never built.
May 2000: Premiere of Pluto, The Renewer
In May 2000, Colin Matthews premiered his "completion" of Gustav Holst's The Planets, composing a new movement for the ninth planet Pluto, giving it the name "Pluto, The Renewer".
2001: Sale of unfinished Combat 2
In 2001, 200 copies of the unfinished game Combat 2, the sequel to Combat, were sold at the Classic Gaming Expo after a company created a box and manual.
2001: Release of "As Time Goes By" album
In 2001, the album As Time Goes By was released, considered the final studio album of The Carpenters. The album contained Karen's cover of "The Rainbow Connection", to which a toy piano, choir, and strings were added.
2002: Release of Destroyer Command and bug criticism
In 2002, Destroyer Command received positive reviews but was criticized for the number of glitches, which could have been fixed with more software testing.
2002: System of a Down album leak
In 2002, System of a Down's untitled album, the follow-up to Toxicity, was leaked online as MP3 files. The songs released later as "Steal This Album!" were significantly different, with changes to titles, lyrics, and melodies.
2004: Wilson records completed solo album
In 2004, Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks re-recorded the Smile material and released it as a completed solo album.
2004: Elliott Smith's posthumous album release
In 2004, From a Basement on the Hill by Elliott Smith was released posthumously. According to the initial album producer, the released record differed from what Smith intended, with fewer songs, different mixes, and a less subtle approach.
2004: Cancellation of Samurai Jack
In 2004, Samurai Jack was cancelled after four seasons without a conclusive resolution.
2004: Bernini's Bozzetti Exhibition
In 2004, eleven of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's bozzetti (prototype sculptures) were displayed in an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago.
April 2005: Signing of the "Artist's Rights and Theft Prevention Act"
On April 27, 2005, the "Artist's Rights and Theft Prevention Act", a subpart of the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, was signed into U.S. law, allowing copyright protection for unfinished commercial products.
August 2006: Pluto Demoted to Dwarf Planet
In August 2006, Pluto was officially demoted to a dwarf planet, meaning that Holst's original work now more accurately represents the Solar System.
2007: Publication of The Children of Húrin
In 2007, Christopher Tolkien published another novel from his father entitled The Children of Húrin, assembled from various incomplete drafts.
2010: Writing of The Winds of Winter begins
Circa 2010, George R. R. Martin began writing the sixth book in the series A Song of Ice and Fire, titled The Winds of Winter, which is still incomplete as of 2024.
2011: Version of the Beach Boys album constructed
In 2011, a version of The Beach Boys' Smile album was constructed from the original Smile Sessions, using Wilson's solo album as a template.
September 2012: Dark Blood premiere at Netherlands Film Festival
On September 27, 2012, Dark Blood, a film cancelled due to the death of its star River Phoenix, premiered to a private guest audience at the Netherlands Film Festival in Utrecht, Netherlands.
2016: The X-Files season 10 release
In 2016, The X-Files released its 10th season, ending on a cliffhanger that resulted in a strong backlash toward the finale.
2017: Revival of Samurai Jack
In 2017, Adult Swim revived Samurai Jack for a fifth and final season, providing a conclusive resolution to the central plot.
2017: Reconstruction of Doctor Who serial Shada
In 2017, the original cast of Doctor Who was reunited to record audio for an animated reconstruction of the missing scenes of the serial Shada, according to the original script.
2018: Completion of The Other Side of the Wind
In 2018, Peter Bogdanovich completed Orson Welles' film The Other Side of the Wind, which Welles had been working on at the time of his death.
2018: The Familiar series dropped by publisher
In 2018, The Familiar, a book series written by Mark Z. Danielewski, prematurely stopped after the fifth volume, Redwood, when poor sales forced its publisher, Pantheon Books, to drop support for it.
2018: The X-Files season 11 release
In 2018, The X-Files released its 11th season, also ending on a cliffhanger, resulting in a strong backlash toward the finale.
2024: A Song of Ice and Fire incomplete
As of 2024, George R. R. Martin's dark epic high fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, planned to comprise seven books, has only five published, with the sixth book, The Winds of Winter, still being incomplete.
2026: Sagrada Família Completion Prevision
The Sagrada Família in Barcelona, which has been under construction since 1882, is previsioned to be finished in 2026.
Mentioned in this timeline
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