Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918–1939

Lavishly illustrated, this catalogue explores the role of the automobile as both object and subject in interwar France, a period of exceptional creativity, innovation and turbulence. Expansive and interdisciplinary, Roaring illuminates the rich creative ecosystems that nourished this golden age of French automotive design.

The publication explores the role of the automobile as both object and subject in France between the two world wars. It untangles the impact of fashion, interiors, architecture, aviation and the avant-garde on French automobile design and production. In turn, it highlights the bold, untethered visions of artists like Josephine Baker, Le Corbusier, Sonia and Robert Delaunay, and Jacques-Henri Lartigue, who embraced the automobile as a provocative expression of the modern age.

Review

"Absolutely stunning. . . I am glad the St. Louis Art Museum saw fit to publish a hardbound book on the show because more of the public will realize car design did not evolve in isolation, that sometimes cars can reflect the art taste of their environment."-- "Coachbuild"

About the Author

Genevieve Cortinovis is the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation associate curator of decorative arts and design at the Saint Louis Art Museum. She joined the museum in 2012 after earning a master’s degree in the history of decorative arts, design, and material culture from the Bard Graduate Center in New York City.

Essays by Sarah Berg, Genevieve Cortinovis, Pierre-Jean Desemerie, Ken Gross, Justice Henderson, and Daniel Marcus