The Detroit Institute of Arts has assembled a killer exhibition, now running, called “Detroit Style: Car Design in the Motor City, 1950–2020.”
General Motors. “Corvette Stingray Racer,” 1959. General Motors Heritage Collection.
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“This exhibition organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts will highlight the artistry and influence of Detroit car designers working between 1950 and the present day. It will bring together 12 coupes and sedans designed across that 70-year period to highlight significant achievements in style and technology. The 12 cars include unique examples of experimental show cars created for display and iconic production models sold to the mass market. Design drawings and photographs will allow you to imagine the creative and innovative processes that bring a vehicle from the drawing board to the street.”
For designers, I think a large part of the fun will be seeing how different the rendering standards were back in the day. Today’s renderings all have a pretty similar feel, in terms of media, but it seems mid-century designers had a lot more latitude to choose the drawing tools they liked working with.
“Ford Nucleon Atomic Powered Vehicle, Rear Side View,” 1956, Albert L. Mueller, American; gouache, pastel, prismacolor, brown-line print on vellum. Collection of Robert L. Edwards and Julie Hyde-Edwards.
“Ford Mustang,” 1965, Howard Payne, American; prismacolor and gouache on red charcoal paper. Collection of Brett Snyder.
“’61 Pontiac Catalina vs. Aerodynamic Streamlined Sedan,” 1959, William Porter, American; prismacolor on vellum. Collection of Bill and Patsy Porter.
“Lincoln XL-500 Concept Car,” 1952, Charles E. Balogh, American; watercolor, gouache, airbrush, ink, graphite on illustration board. Collection of Robert L. Edwards and Julie Hyde-Edwards.
“1960 Chrysler,” 1956, Dave Cummins, American; prismacolor on vellum. Collection of Brett Snyder.
“Toronado Proposal,” 1968, Roger Hughet, American; gouache and prismacolor on illustration board. Collection of Roger Hughet.
“Elwood Engel Design for a Gyroscopically Stabilized Two Wheel Car,” about 1960, Sydney Jay Mead, American; gouache, liquid resist, graphite on illustration board. Collection of Brett Snyder.
“’71 Barracuda Front End Facelift Concept,” 1968, Donald Hood, American; crayon, gouache, ink, felt marker, prismacolor, pastel on vellum. Collection of Robert L. Edwards and Julie Hyde-Edwards.
“Rendering of Proposed 1967 Cadillac Eldorado Design,” 1964, Wayne Kady, American; watercolor, gouache, and ink on paper. From the Collections of The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan.
And of course, there will be some fantastic physical models on display:
General Motors. “Firebird III,” 1958. General Motors Heritage Collection.
Chrysler Corporation. Chronos, 1998. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
General Motors. “Corvette Stingray Racer,” 1959. General Motors Heritage Collection.
Currently open, “Detroit Style: Car Design in the Motor City, 1950–2020” will run thru June 27, 2021 at the DIA Museum in Detroit. Safety protocols are required of staff and visitors, and reservations must be made in advance. There’s more info on how to visit here.
Source: core77