‘Automania’ Is How the Museum of Modern Art Does a Car Show

Timothy

New York’s Museum of Modern Art announced the Automania exhibition on February 11, 2020, one month before the city would announce its stay at home orders and muddle our already complicated relationship with the automobile. I’ve lived in New York for over 10 years and besides a brief three-month period where I navigated my grandmother’s early 2000s Toyota Camry in endless loops around my Brooklyn neighborhood in order to avoid an alternate side parking ticket, I’ve never owned a car. I’ve never even lusted after one. When I got my license at 17, all I wanted was access. The price of an automobile seemed as absurd to me as the price of a house but, growing up in suburban New Jersey, it also seemed like every adult in my life had one of each. As aesthetic objects, I could see the grace of a well-designed frame or the reflective beauty of their metallic shells but I never loved the car crowd. The first Friday of the warmer months, car enthusiasts would line the typically empty Pep Boys parking lot in my hometown. They’d pop their hoods and sit on camper chairs, hands practically wringing, waiting for someone to ask them what’s inside of that thing.

Much like the crowd at the small town car show, eager to show off their prized possession, MoMa’s first aim with Automania is simply to display the amazing cars it’s acquired over the years. Of course, the museum’s spending power, sourcing abilities, and taste level are far more refined than a midlife crisis enthusiast. The cars are divine. There are 10 on display: a 1963 Jaguar E-Type Roadster, a 1973 Citroën DS 23 sedan, a 1965 Porsche 911, a 1946 Cisitalia 202 GT, a 1990 Ferrari 641/2 F1 car, a 1968 Fiat 500, a 1959 Volkswagen Type 1 sedan, a 1963 Airstream Bambi Travel Trailer (not a car), a 1953 Willys M-38A1 and one poorly chosen 2002 Smart car.

Source Article

Next Post

2023 Ford Bronco Raptor Looks Properly Huge Next to Normal Traffic

Everybody knows that trucks are big these days—bigger than ever. A lot of people will say it’s for the worst, while others are just happy to be alive in a time where off-roaders come with 35s from the factory. By the looks of it, those in the latter camp will […]