Hooniverse Asks- What's Your Favorite Art Car?

By Robert Emslie Aug 2, 2010

Many would argue that automobiles in themselves represent an art form. In fact, in 1951, New York’s Museum of Modern Art held an exhibit of landmark automotive designs, highlighted by a Figoni & Falaschi-bodied TalbotLago T23 goutte d’eau coupe. But others see the automobile as but a blank canvas, which they are free to imbue with a creative expression unconnected to the underlying machine. Many of these, by popular artists, have gained notoriety in both art and motoring circles, and I’m sure you are familiar with one or more. But which one really speaks to you?
Calder, Hockney, even hipster diva Andy Warhol – they all splashed some paint on BMW racers, and immediately increased their value one hundred fold. Other, less well known artists regularly use the auto as a both canvas and mobile gallery. Whether pens, or pennies, computer keyboard keys or the detritus of society, there seems nothing that these budding Bob Ross’ won’t hot-glue to their rides in outlet of their creative drive.
Those cars usually end up in the junk yard rather than the art museum, but even there, their novelty attracts attention and the occasional appreciative nod. Of course, Pick-A-Part critiques are not what their creators had in mind when the vested their time and artistic expression in the work, but then, if they could have paid all those parking tickets they wouldn’t have been starving artists now would they?
So, amateur, undiscovered, or pretentious art-house favorite, there’s lots of art cars out there from which to choose. One of these must have tickled your fancy – oh perhaps not enough to replace that dogs playing poker painting you cherish so much, but maybe as an addition to your collection? Are you partial to the big guns, or do you like the whimsy of something with a dadaist’s perspective ? Each one is valid in its own way because, to quote Plato:

Remember how in that communion only, beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may.

Which is another way of saying, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So with that in mind, which art car do you behold as being the most beautiful?
Image sources: [theage.com, texastravel.com]

44 thoughts on “Hooniverse Asks- What's Your Favorite Art Car?”
    1. You'd be impressed with my artistic skills, as I hand-drew on the "1"s needed to make us "143".
      (was too late in the draw to get 43).
      Also repainted the wing and our various scuffs.

  1. I'd also vote for the Shashimi Tabernacle Choir. With its combination of over-the-top weirdness and techie cool, it's a winner.
    However, in the early 90s, one of my buds had a 74 Mustang that was sky blue and burned more 30w than gas which inspired him to paint it up with a city skyline along the bottom half so he could recreate the smog haze of the day. If I had a pic, that would be my vote.

  2. One of the few art cars I've seen in person was Janis Joplin's 356C, which a roadie painted for her.
    <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2602/3692622770_42118d7ede.jpg&quot; style="width: 500px; height: 375px; border: 0" alt="imgTag" />
    I'm not sure it's my favorite, that might go to the Cadillac ranch. Hey, you never specified that the cars still had to be drivable.
    <img src="http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/images/tx/TXAMAcaddy1.jpg&quot; style="width: 300px; height: 160px; border: 0" alt="imgTag" />

    1. What the heck is that second one?? I love the little wings for slicing pedestrians in half before they can interfere with the front suspension.

  3. Yeah, there's a fine line, to be sure.
    We've all seen too many otherwise nice cars trashed for the sake of getting a "trashed" look, which is really unfortunate.

  4. check out the trailer for the new film on Art Cars "Automorphosis" On tour with it now http://www.automorphosis.com
    <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-tMO-5sCacQ&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1?rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-tMO-5sCacQ&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1?rel=0&quot; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

  5. I have to Vote for The Sashimi Tabernackle Choir. It makes me happy every time I see it and hear it. It must be seen in action to get the full effect. of all of those singing lobsters and fish. Though I also love WT's work. His work is a piece of sculptural art.

    1. Yup, it ran at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Well, it did until it crashed 5 hours in, then spent a bunch of time getting repaired, then developed mysterious technical issues and finally just pulled over and shut down. But, it looked good doing it!

  6. Hmm, faves, too many to list, but here's a few:
    Rebecca Caldwell's CARTHEDRAL (spectacular!)
    Harrod Blank's CAMERA VAN (love the precision & fact that it really takes pictures)
    Charles Hunt's THE GRAPE (sort of Mad Max w/ a better sense of humour)
    Julian Stock's SKULL TRUCK (New Orleans victim of Katrina)
    Jose Benavides' Our LADY done in license plates.
    Extremo the Clown's MSV
    And yup, SASHIMI.
    Mine are all the paint & 'glue crap on' variety. Haven't figured out how to upload images on this thing.
    kelly

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