Art of the Automotive Landscape

Eyes On The Road

1st Floor

Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery
Closes November 2024

Vehicles are subject to change within the exhibit without notice.

In the early decades of the 20th century, automobile ownership saw tremendous growth in the United States—with one motor vehicle per every five Americans by 1929—and a new motoring landscape evolved to accommodate the increase in car travel. For over a century, civil engineers, automotive designers, architects, and graphic artists have worked, often without credit, to create highway systems and the vehicles that traverse them, along with standardized signage and roadside amenities that have become so commonplace that they are largely taken for granted. 

Modern and contemporary artists, however, have long noticed and been inspired by the world in which the automobile operates and have responded to it in their work. Eyes on the Road brings the often-overlooked “art” of the highway together with artistic representations of this visual culture, highlighting the role of the car in shaping the country’s built environment and drawing new attention to the world around us. 

Artists featured in Eyes on the Road include Ed Ruscha, Vik Muniz, Andy Warhol, Mr. Brainwash, Allan D'Arcangelo, David Hockney, Carlos Almaraz, Roger Kuntz, and many more. Curated by the Petersen Automotive Museum and Guest Curator, Jim Farber


Artwork is subject to change without notice. More Artwork can be seen within the exhibit and may not be on the list.

Artwork in Exhibit

Standard at Night

Vik Muniz, Standard Station (Night), after Ed Ruscha, 2008. Digital chromogenic print mounted on aluminum. Courtesy of J. Carter Tutwiler

Dead End 1 and 2

Ed Ruscha, Rusty Signs—Dead End 1 and 2, 2014.
Mixografia prints on handmade paper. Courtesy of the artist.

Long Beach 710 x Century 105 #2.3

Harry B. Chandler, Long Beach 710 x Century 105 #2.3, 2014. Acrylic and inkjet on paper mounted on board. Courtesy of the artist.

Blank Signs 1-4

Ed Ruscha, Blank Signs 1-4, 2004. Etching and aquatints. Courtesy of the artist.

Einstein

Mr. Brainwash, Einstein, 2018. Stencil and mixed media on metal street sign. Courtesy of the artist.


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