French-born, Los Angeles-based artist Thierry Guetta (b. 1966), known by the moniker Mr Brainwash, has been active in the street art and contemporary art scenes for nearly two decades. His irreverent pop art style incorporates graffiti, printmaking, stenciling, painting, and sculpture. His first solo exhibition, Life is Beautiful, opened in Hollywood in 2008 and was a runaway success, and the Banksy-directed documentary about Guetta’s rise to fame as an artist, Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010), was nominated for an Academy Award. His art is humorous—sometimes satirical—and generally conveys a sense of playfulness and wonder.

In his takeover of the Petersen Museum’s Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery, Mr Brainwash celebrates the automobile as a populist icon of American life and an inspirational machine that can spark imagination and joy. The immersive installation Cars are Beautiful is a feast for the eyes that features paintings and sculptures in a whimsical cacophony resulting in a unique and engaging experience.