Rolling Art at the Guggenheim Bilbao
Pegaso Z-102 CupulaEdward Ruscha - Standard Station - 1966
From April 8 to September 18, 2022, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao presents "Motion. Autos, Art, Architecture," an exhibition that surveys more than a century of automotive creation, exploring its connections to the visual arts and architecture.
G. Fernández · theartwolf.com. Images: Pegaso Z-102 Cúpula, 1952. Photograph by Rutger van der Maar ·· Edward Ruscha, “Standard Station”, 1966. Silkscreen © Ed Ruscha
A racing car is more beautiful than the Victory of SamothraceFilippo Tommaso Marinetti, Futurist Manifesto of 1909
Despite its recent and not always fair vilification, based on environmental impacts that the electric or hydrogen car could significantly mitigate, the automobile has been (and continues to be) a steadfast ally in the conquest of individual freedom. Its impact on 20th and 21st century society has been colossal, influencing other creative and artistic disciplines such as architecture and the visual arts. The exhibition at the Guggenheim Bilbao, curated by the celebrated architect Norman Foster, is undoubtedly one of the great cultural events of the year, a multidisciplinary exhibition that traces the history of the automobile, studies its impact and raises questions for its future.
The first section of the exhibition, "Beginnings", traces the birth of the automobile from its first prototypes to the beginnings of mass production. The second section, "Sculptures", gives an affirmative answer to the question of whether a car can be considered a work of art. The famous Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, considered by many (including the undersigned) to be the most beautiful car ever made, is a supreme Art Deco masterpiece of which there are three surviving examples, each worth well over $50 million. Two unique examples made in Spain, the Hispano-Suiza H6B Dubonnet Xenia and the Pegaso Z-102 Cúpula (the latter a sensational work of art and engineering, despite its somewhat excessive restoration) are also included in the exhibition.
In the day we sweat it out on the streetsOf a runaway American dreamAt night we ride through the mansions of gloryIn suicide machinesBruce Springsteen · Born to run
In a press release, the Guggenheim Museum rightly points out that "nowhere has felt the impact of the automobile as fully as the United States". The "Americana" section stresses this idea, the importance of the automobile in the American society, not only as a means of transportation, but also as a symbol of freedom, social status, and even as a Pop icon, which is reflected in works by Ed Ruscha and Robert Indiana.
"Popularising" includes some of the earliest examples of the "people's car", such as the Austin Mini. "Visionaries" shows some examples of utopian vehicles alongside the works of futurist artists, such as Umberto Boccioni or Giacomo Balla. The last section of the exhibition, "Future", presents several projects by students who were invited to what mobility may be like at the end of this century.

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