Life is a highway

"Life is a Highway: Art and American Car Culture explores the inventiveness and variety of artistic imagery inspired by the automobile as an evolving symbol of American identity. Initially celebrated as a symbol of technological progress, by the 1920s the automobile became closely attached to notions of labor and community values deeply rooted in the Midwestern manufacturing regions that fostered the auto industry. As a key element of the mid-twentieth century boom economy, the car kindled an explosion of visual imagery that drew upon it as an icon of middle-class prosperity, postwar freedom, and individualism, as well as a symbol of personal and cultural identity. As the century unfolded, attention increasingly shifted to how the forces of automotive culture contributed to suburban sprawl and indelibly transformed the American landscape. Today our relationship to the car is once again changing, with the advent of the driverless car and new transportation models, as well as increasing environmental and energy concerns. Accompanying a major exhibition featuring more than 150 works of art in a wide range of media, this catalogue is an inclusive, historical overview of artists engaged in themes related to the car and its impact on American culture. Curator Robin Reisenfeld analyzes how artists spanning the twentieth century have examined the mythic status of the car across social, cultural, aesthetic, environmental, and industrial dimensions with images that both celebrate and critique its legacy. Eleanor Heartney looks at contemporary global artists using automobile culture to address issues of identity, gender, politics, and technology."