Detroit style : car design in the Motor City, 1950-2020 / Benjamin W. Colman.

Detroit : Detroit Institute of Arts, [2020]

New Haven : Distributed by Yale University Press.

148 pages : illustrations (some color), portraits ; 30 cm

Published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name, held at Detroit Institute of Arts, June 13, 2020-January 10, 2021.

Detroit, nicknamed Motor City, has always been a leader in car design. As the city became the center of the American automobile industry in the early 20th century, its studios became incubators for new ideas and new styles. This volume highlights the artistry and influence of Detroit designers working in the industry between 1950 and the present day, giving readers a sumptuously illustrated opportunity to discover the ingenuity of influential (and surprisingly little-known) figures in postwar American car design. Detroit Style showcases 12 coupes and sedans, representing both experimental cars created solely for display and iconic production models for the mass market. Dozens of design drawings and images of studio interiors--along with paintings and sculptures--highlight the creative process and dialogue between the American art world and car culture. These materials in addition to interviews with influential figures in car design today bring new insights and spark curiosity about the formative role Detroit designers have played in shaping the automotive world around us, and the ways their work has responded to changing tastes, culture, and technology.

English

October 04, 2021

Includes bibliographical references (page 138).