the adult field trip initiative | Petersen Automotive Museum | saturday 19 december
History floor | Industry floor | Artistry floor
by the Gentleman Alphonse
newly remodeled in 2015 by kohn pedersen fox architectural firm, the petersen automotive museum is a marvelous wonderland for the petrol headed car-enthusiast. originally founded in 1994 by magaziner robert e. petersen + his wife margie, the museum houses an expansive collection of antiques + aspirational machines alike, all providing an exhilarating backdrop for the 12th + final outing of the calendar as the weeks race into the holidays.
upon arriving for ticketing, the urge to counterintuitively ignore the glorious ground floor, in favour of a start at the recommended third floor, is an exercise in extreme eyeball-discipline. exiting the elevator car at the top gallery level, said discipline is sublimely rewarded, as the very first vehicle to come into view is the near-mythical 1965 jaguar wkss, owned by none other than legendary film + adventure maven steve mcqueen. traversing through the ‘why we love the automobile exhibition’, that love transcends across space + time as models from bygone eras stand immaculately presented amongst tall displays detailing the evolution of everything from how people designed their interior packages to how road trips were guided, documented + routed. equally enthralling was the ‘automobiles in movies’ section, featuring a wondrous canon of iconic celluloid beauties, from the bat mobile to bond, magnum p.i. to breaking bad. various quotes from the visionaries + giants of industry were posted artfully about the floor, as the pathway to the steps descending to the second floor were progressed.
landing at the second level, the ‘two-wheeled transportation’ exhibition welcomes with a cascading collection of motorbikes, all with their own stories to tell. curling around past the forza racing experience + ‘the world of motorsports’ room, the walls give way to mulling design gallery, the art center at the petersen. an intriguing, open-office real look at the development of automotive designs, from sculpted buck conceptual models to CAD renders to full size structural mockups. evolving around to spotlight a number of supercars, this floor takes focus on the industry of the automobile: what it takes to create something that moves not only the driver + passengers, but the spirits of the onlooker, even at rest. after delving into the detailed + well-presented ‘alternative power’ segment, documenting all of the options for powering vehicles beyond petrol, the fan favorite stands in the form of the silver room. themed ‘precious metal’, this showcase of all silver-finisehed auto bodies shimmered in a room of greyscale, capturing old world hallowed glamour + strong echoes of racing design-inspired coach builders. this setup perfectly for the final descent, down the round stairwell into the first floor of automobile artistry.
not one to disappoint, the recommended tour definitely saved the most moving objects for movement for last. entering into a cavernous, warehouse sized faux-star enveloped space, some of the most gorgeously designed automobiles throughout history have found an appreciative home here. the number of oohs + as elicited from sheer awe balanced magnificently well with the excellently placed displays + dioramas showcasing the various modes of clothing + necessary luxury that accompanied driving during the first golden age of the automobile. never to be rendered as only a reliquary, the massive space fed visitors into the room of BMW art cars, first commissioned by hervé poulain in 1975. a history of these art cars was presented installed along the walls, gallery like, while three physical specimens of these works were on view in all their full size drivable glory.
as the sun began to set + the rain began to fall, a newly rekindled giddiness surrounding the love affair we have with the vehicles that we access to get from point a to point b rippled electric amongst the rich tapestry of intriguing individuals in attendance, all grateful for such a wondrous day of inner child reawakening.
until next year, I leave you to explore greater.
your company has been appreciated, amazingly.
class dismissed.