Curves of Steel Exhibition

The Phoenix Art Museum, Curves of Steel Exhibition

List of cars in the exhibition

1934 Chrysler Imperial Airflow
851 Speedster
1936 Stout Scarab
1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe
1936 Peugeot 402 Darl’mat Coupe
1937 Cord 812 Sportsman
1937 Delahaye 145 “Million Franc Prize” car
1937 Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza H-6c Xenia by Saoutchik
1938 Embiricos Bentley
1938 Talbot-Lago T150C “Teardrop” Figoni et Falaschi coupe
1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900
1938 Darracq-Talbot Lago T-150 c by Figoni et Falaschi
1938 Delage D8-120 S Pourtout Aréo Coupé
1939 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet by Figoni et Falaschi
1939 Lincoln Zephyr
1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt
1948 Tatra T87
1948 Tucker
1952 SoCal Belly Tank
1957 Ferrari 625/250 Testa Rossa TRC
1986 Oldsmobile Aerotech
1994 McLaren F1

quote:


Curves of Steel, organized by Phoenix Art Museum, is the first exhibition in an art museum to explore the impact and influence of streamlining on American and European automobile design in the 20th century.  It features 22 of some of the rarest and most stunning cars ever to be presented in one show – many are the only existing examples of their kind. 

They demonstrate the influence of aerodynamic testing and how it changed the look of the automobile from a rectangular “horse-less” carriage into the sleek modern automobile that embodies speed and efficiency.  They exemplify the beautiful, sweeping lines, elegant details and perfect proportions where science and style intersect.
Emerging from aerodynamic studies seeking to improve the speed of ships and airplanes, streamlining is characterized by smooth, curvilinear shapes idealized in the tear drop shape.

http://www.phxart.org/exhibitions/curves.asp

quote:


Richard Nilsen
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 30, 2007


Overall, it is the cars from the 1930s that hold up best. Their lines, their details, their craftsmanship is superb.

Seeing this much automotive pulchritude in one place does tend to force upon you the realization that the cars you see on the road nowadays are namby-pamby milquetoast designs. The old cars just ooze personality. Today's Toyotas or Hondas have a cookie-cutter look.

Let's face it, the so-called "European jogging shoe" is the standard for all sedans out there. SUVs and pickups are likewise clonish.

But it also tells us of the difference in era. In the 1930s, in the middle of the Depression, drivers - American and European - wanted something that spoke to them of a better tomorrow. Futurism in design was rampant, from the toaster in the kitchen to the Atwater-Kent in the living room.

The 1930s were a time - unlike our own - when the future seemed like a place you wanted to be. Things would be better, and designs that pointed the way to the future were a good sales pitch

Nowadays, the only cars with personality are retro - the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the VW Beetle, the Mini-Cooper, the Chevy HHR, the current T-Bird. They remind us nostalgically of the past.



1935 Stout Scarab