The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 1, the Duesenberg JN

I had the opportunity to visit the High Museum in Atlanta while "The Allure of the Automobile" was exhibiting. If you know me personally, you'll also know that besides modernism I have a fondness borderline-ing obsession with classic automobiles. This exhibit brought both of my interests together and resulted in my taking a rather excessive number of photos, which I'll feature as separate articles in my ModusModern blog.

From the High Museum of Art pamphlet:

The Allure of the Automobile

March 21 - Jun 20, 2010

Built from the 1930s to the mid-1960s, the eighteen rare and limited-edition cars in this exhibition represent the best of the best - luxurious, one-of-a-kind designs from legendary car makers such as Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Cadillac, Duesenberg, Ferrari, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Packard, Porsche, and Tucker. Former owners of some of these award-winning autos include Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Steve McQueen.

I attended the exhibit on 2010.06.20 - it had been extended by a week or so. The exhibit was quite crowded so it was very challenging to get photos of everything I would have liked (counting back through my photos I seem to have missed on car) - I hardly got any photos of some cars like the Tucker 48. I took many photos of others as I had more opportunity to get unobstructed views. You'll find that I have an afinity for certain details and the justaposition of shapes - there are several close-ups. I also tried to take images of the display plackards but the glare from the lighting made it difficult - I don't believe most can be read (I've included those that are nearly legible). Enjoy!

1935 Duesenberg JN Roadster

Walking into the main hall the first automobile you see is the 1935 Duesenberg JN Roadster. I believe this is the car mentioned in exhibit literature that was a gift to Clark Gable from his wife Carole Lombard. I took many photos of this car as it is quite beautiful. There's also a YouTube video I found and added at the end of artist Alan Johnson who applied pin-striping during the restoration.

Next up: 1933 Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow

-- John