Built by craftsmen and technicians with extraordinary sensitivity for contour, color, intricate details, and eye-grabbing verve, the world’s premier automobiles are aesthetic masterworks in their own right. So, it’s no wonder that so many top art collectors, from Adam Lindemann to artnet News’s own columnist Kenny Schachter, collect cars as well. The esteem, of course, goes both ways. Automakers—most famously BMW, with their storied Art Car series—have made plain their love for fine artists, often pursuing memorable collaborations with them.
Fresh on the heels of the New York International Auto Show, which concluded on Sunday, we’ve assembled a list of some of the most creative, compelling experiments blending cars with artistic innovation. Who knew, for instance, that Mercedes-Benz is taking cues from Andres Serrano for their new amber suspension? See for yourself below!
1. CADILLAC
Installation view of “TOILETPAPER Paradise” at Cadillac House. Courtesy of Cadillac.
A case study for marrying the fields of art and technology is the stalwart of American automobiles, Cadillac. In 2015, the company moved to Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood—evolving beyond its gritty, Motor City history—and in 2016 it unveiled Cadillac House, a creative incubator space that has some impressive art cred attached. Along with the luxury/art/fashion publication Visionaire, Cadillac House hosts art shows and events, like Daniel Arsham’s pink-hued light installation “Lunar Garden” and “TOILETPAPER Paradise,” a psychedelic potpourri designed by Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari. Cadillac has also fruitfully engaged with the fashion world through partnerships with such talents as designer (and clothier to Michelle Obama) Jason Wu, who created a branded collaboration in Refinery29’s 2017 iteration of the viral 29Rooms, following it up by presenting a temporary showcase of Wu’s contemporary line, Grey, with the automaker. Read more