Field Trip report: Cars! On a design blog!

Photo credit - Peter Harholdt

This morning my mom and I took my three kids to the High to see the Allure of the Automobile exhibit. We all enjoyed the exhibit and I highly (no pun intended) recommend the exhibit to all! Beautiful cars from 1935-1961. The Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow and the Dodge Firearrow were my favorites. This fascinating exhibit traces the aesthetic beauty and development of the automobile and relates this to the arts (see below).

From Art Knowledge News :

" 'The Allure of the Automobile,' the first exhibition to consider the stylistic development of automobiles in the context of prominent design movements such as Art Moderne and Postwar Modernity, will premiere at the High Museum of Art. The exhibition will present 18 of the world’s rarest and most brilliantly conceived cars ranging from the 1930s to the mid-1960s, including masterpieces by Bugatti, Duesenberg, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Ferrari. These cars combine state-of-the-art engineering, meticulous craftsmanship and groundbreaking design to create works of “rolling sculpture.” The exhibition, made possible by lead sponsor Porsche Cars North America, Inc. will be on view from March 20 through June 20, 2010.

“Our visitors will be surprised to find that today’s vehicles come from a legacy of beauty and innovation comparable to the finest decorative arts that may be found in museum collections,” said Michael E. Shapiro, Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr. Director of the High Museum of Art. “This exhibition will showcase the greatest feats of engineering and luxury design from 1930 to 1965, when cars became synonymous with success, power and wealth. Created for the privileged few, these luxurious, custom-built automobiles embodied speed, style and elegance, and influenced art, architecture, fashion and design.”

The 18 automobiles on view at the High will include one-of-a-kind, custom-built designs that incorporate remarkable advances in automotive styling and engineering. The sections of the exhibition will trace the evolution of the motorcar, examining the contrasts between European and American design, the influence of decorative arts and design and the significant changes in automotive styling and engineering both before and after World War II. The featured automobiles have also won awards at prestigious world events such as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, broken records on racetracks and were previously owned by noted car enthusiasts such as Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Steve McQueen."

The Dodge Firearrow


Photo credit: Peter Harholdt