Detroit art show highlights Corvette concepts
DETROIT _ A new art exhibition called, “American Dreaming, Corvette: 7 Generations and Beyond,” will be hosted through Feb. 18 at The Scarab Club in Detroit to complement the 2017…
DETROIT _ A new art exhibition called, “American Dreaming, Corvette: 7 Generations and Beyond,” will be hosted through Feb. 18 at The Scarab Club in Detroit to complement the 2017 Detroit International Auto Show.
The artworks on display will consist of original design drawings and models created by General Motors stylists between 1952 and 2014. In addition to honoring the artists, the exhibition will also include a limited number of student drawings.
The first generation (C1) Corvette started as a Motorama dream car brought to life. Corvettes were always on the leading edge of GM design concepts and often introduced new motifs that later trickled down to other Chevrolet products. “The design of this automotive icon took shape at a drafting board with pencil on paper, driven solely by the imagination of artists practicing a unique Detroit art form: automotive design,” said a Scarab Club press release. “It is the conceptual art of the Corvette that this exhibition celebrates.”
The exhibit has three parts: an exhibition of rare vintage concept drawings from the GM Corvette studios, a design competition open to current design students and an exhibition of Corvette advertising art from the ‘50s to the ‘90s.
Relatively few pieces of Corvette concept art exist and this exhibition will feature the best examples from private collections and GM’s Design Archives and Special Collections. Students from the leading transportation design schools will compete and the judges will includeJay Leno, Robert Cumberford and Bill Robinson. Cash prizes will be awarded and entries will be exhibited. Part three will feature Corvette ads from the collection of photographer Jim Secreto.
Exhibition curators, John Douglas Peters and Robert Edwards spent the past year organizing the artwork and catalog. This exhibit of Corvette art is the first of its kind and will give recognition to designers of the Corvette and celebrate the most important art form Detroit can claim as its own—automotive concept art.
The Scarab Club is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Club officials will host a reception toasting the exhibit on Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. and a gallery talk on Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. For additional information, call 313-831-1250.
