Edited by Juliet Kinchin. Text by Paul Galloway, Andrew Gardner, Juliet Kinchin.
How motor vehicles reshaped the way people lived, worked and played in the 20th century, and their enduring influence on the built environment
Drawing on the wealth of automobile-related design, art and architecture in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, Automania takes an in-depth look at an industrial object that changed the world. From its first appearance as a plaything for the rich in the 1890s to its establishment as a utilitarian necessity of modern life, the car has transformed the ways in which we live, work and enjoy ourselves, inspiring countless designers and artists working in various mediums. Some have viewed the automobile as the ultimate expression of technological progress, capable of bringing about widespread economic growth and positive societal change. Others have seen it as the enemy of humanistic values, leading only to rising fatalities and the proliferation of hazardous waste and pollution. But all have recognized it as central to contemporary life, design and culture. Automania traces the rich cultural history of the car while giving pride of place to the ten vehicles in MoMA’s collection, which mark pivotal moments in the history of automotive design. These include the Jeep M-38A1 Utility Truck, the Citroën DS 23 Sedan, the Volkswagen Type 1 Sedan, the Fiat 500f City Car, the Cisitalia 202 GT Car, the Ferrari Formula 1 Racing Car 641/2, the Porsche 911 Coupé, the Airstream Bambi Travel Trailer, the Jaguar E-Type Roadster and the Smart Car Coupé.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Automania'.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
New Yorker
Andrea K. Scott
Do cars represent the freedom of the open road or are they harbingers of ruin? The answer is yes in “Automania."
Vanity Fair
Brett Berk
Takes a hard look at our complicated love affair with the car.
Time Out New York
Andre Wheeler
A vintage car enthusiast's delight...featuring early 20th-century models paired with fine art, the new [book] unpacks the complicated role of cars.
in stock $29.95
Free Shipping
UPS GROUND IN THE CONTINENTAL U.S. FOR CONSUMER ONLINE ORDERS
Featured images are reproduced from Automania, published to accompany the highly anticipated exhibition of automobile-related design, art and architecture on view now at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. “From plaything of the rich to utilitarian necessity of modern life to artistic muse, the car has triggered conflicting responses since its first appearance in the 1890s,” the editors write. “Some have viewed the car as the ultimate expression of technological progress, capable of bringing about positive societal change, while others have seen it as the enemy of humanistic values, leading only to destruction. Current efforts to render the combustion engine redundant suggest we have reached a critical moment in this narrative. Robot-controlled cars promise cleaner air. Fewer young people are learning to drive, and fewer still are able to repair cars, including the electric models that are becoming increasingly prevalent. Escalating environmental concerns, combined with the restricted mobility and economic crisis engendered by the COVID-10 pandemic, are focusing public attention on the urgent need for creative strategies and government action to shape the future of personal transportation. New directions will require clear-eyed reflection on why cars have been, and continue to be, so important to us. For all their ubiquity and attendant problems, these everyday objects still have the power to enthrall as works of art—if only as museum pieces.”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Ferdinand Porsche, Volkswagenwerk AG, Wolfsburg, West Germany. Volkswagen Type 1 Sedan. Designed 1938 (this example 1959); Vern Blosum, "Time Expired" 1962; Flaminio Bertoni, André Lefèbvre, Paul Magès, Robert Opron; Citroën, France. DS 23 Sedan. Designed 1954-1967 (this example 1973); Margaret Bourke-White, Chrysler Corporation,1932.
FORMAT: Hbk, 8 x 10 in. / 112 pgs / 100 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $29.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $39.95 ISBN: 9781633451278 PUBLISHER: The Museum of Modern Art, New York AVAILABLE: 8/3/2021 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA ONLY
Published by The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Edited by Juliet Kinchin. Text by Paul Galloway, Andrew Gardner, Juliet Kinchin.
How motor vehicles reshaped the way people lived, worked and played in the 20th century, and their enduring influence on the built environment
Drawing on the wealth of automobile-related design, art and architecture in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, Automania takes an in-depth look at an industrial object that changed the world. From its first appearance as a plaything for the rich in the 1890s to its establishment as a utilitarian necessity of modern life, the car has transformed the ways in which we live, work and enjoy ourselves, inspiring countless designers and artists working in various mediums.
Some have viewed the automobile as the ultimate expression of technological progress, capable of bringing about widespread economic growth and positive societal change. Others have seen it as the enemy of humanistic values, leading only to rising fatalities and the proliferation of hazardous waste and pollution. But all have recognized it as central to contemporary life, design and culture.
Automania traces the rich cultural history of the car while giving pride of place to the ten vehicles in MoMA’s collection, which mark pivotal moments in the history of automotive design. These include the Jeep M-38A1 Utility Truck, the Citroën DS 23 Sedan, the Volkswagen Type 1 Sedan, the Fiat 500f City Car, the Cisitalia 202 GT Car, the Ferrari Formula 1 Racing Car 641/2, the Porsche 911 Coupé, the Airstream Bambi Travel Trailer, the Jaguar E-Type Roadster and the Smart Car Coupé.
