Artist Installs 65-Ft-Long Mural in New Automotive Hall of Fame
17 July 1997
Artist Installs 65-Ft-Long Mural in New Automotive Hall of Fame
DEARBORN, Mich., July 17 -- Maine artist John Gable is
enroute to Michigan to install his 12-ft-high, 65-ft-long mural in the new
Automotive Hall of Fame that opens August 16 in Dearborn.
Gable, a former GM car designer, has painted the largest piece of
automotive fine art since the Diego Rivera mural in the Detroit Institute of
Arts. He is expected at the Automotive Hall of Fame at 3 p.m. today
(Thursday) and will be working Friday and Saturday, July 18 and 19, and
Monday, July 21, to oversee the hanging and trimming of the canvas and to
paint freshly cut edges.
The mural will be installed in a circular room called the Dedication
Center. It contains nearly 100 scenes that show how motor vehicles have
influenced the lifestyle of the world.
Automotive Hall of Fame Mural Chronicles a Century in 65 Feet
A spectacular mural that celebrates the impact of the motor vehicle on the
world's cultures virtually surrounds visitors entering the Dedication Center
at the new Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, which opens
August 16. The 12-ft. high, 65-ft. long painting is the work of Maine artist
and former car designer John Gable.
"We believe the mural is the largest single piece of automotive fine art
since the creation of the auto industry paintings by Diego Rivera at the
Detroit Institute of Arts in the 1930s," says Hall of Fame President Gene
McKinney. While the Rivera frescoes present a larger-than-life view of man
and machine inside the auto plant, the Gable mural chronicles the development
of the motor vehicle industry and its profound impact on humankind.
"The mural is a tribute to the people who pursued their dream of personal
mobility and changed the world," says McKinney. "Rather than have Hall of
Fame Inductees' portraits lining the gallery, we wanted to show how the
innovations and contributions of accomplished members of the industry advanced
the field of transportation and improved our lifestyle."
The story is told through an assemblage of scenes that serve as commentary
on motor vehicles' affect on society. From the invention of the three-wheeled
Benz Patent Motorwagen in 1886 to concept cars of the future, the mural's
images immerse the visitor in the entertaining history of the worldwide
automotive scene. The emergence of car culture is illustrated by great
grandpa's fliver stuck hub-deep in mud, a movie still of Laurel & Hardy
confronting traffic, Norman Rockwell's depiction of the "Family Outing," and
college students stuffing themselves into a VW Beetle.
A wide range of vehicles from Jeeps and campers, to race cars and hot
rods, to trucks and motorcycles, represent different eras. Pictured are such
auto industry "firsts" as the world's first car, cross-country trip, assembly
line, motor car race, auto show, clover-leaf expressway interchange, and
drive-in theater.
Elegantly etched in a "reader rail" of rich mahogany in front of the
mammoth mural are the honored names and signatures of the 155 Inductees, the
principal focus of the Automotive Hall of Fame.
"The mural is more than a chronology of growth of U.S., European and Asian
automakers, or even an overview of styling and technological changes; it's a
testament to our love affair with the automobile," says Gable, the Woodwich,
Maine, artist who painted the mural at his coastal home studio. "My objective
was to present images that all visitors could relate to and weave those scenes
into a flowing presentation."
Although Gable, 53, is widely known for his commemorative paintings of
sailing and rowing events, his first love is the automobile. To fulfill his
boyhood dream of becoming a car designer, Gable attended Art Center College of
Design, Los Angeles. Upon earning a degree in industrial design in 1966, he
was recruited by General Motors and became a member of the design team for the
1975 Cadillac Seville and the 1982 Firebird. When a promotion to assistant
chief designer at Pontiac removed him from much of the hands-on design work,
he took up painting as a creative outlet.
After 13 years in the auto industry, he left Detroit for the idyllic life
of a full-time artist on the Maine coast. While Maine seascapes and
landscapes dominate his shows at New York and Boston galleries, he also
captures on canvas the pastimes of elite society, such as the America's Cup
Race and classic automobile shows. His mural of automobiles from the art deco
era displayed at a theme restaurant in Chevy Chase, Maryland, led to the
Automotive Hall of Fame Commission.
The new Automotive Hall of Fame is designed and built to be a visitor
attraction and educational resource. It celebrates accomplished people of the
worldwide motor vehicle industry for the purpose of inspiring others,
especially young people, to higher levels of achievement in their own work and
lives. It is a unique "people place" of innovation and inspiration where
interactive experiences and one-on-one demonstrations are entertaining and
enlightening.
Automotive Hall of Fame hours of operation and admission: through October,
daily, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; and November through Memorial Day, daily except
Mondays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; admission, $6 adult, $5.50 senior 62+, $3 youth 5-12;
address: 21400 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, Michigan 48124; telephone:
313-240-4000.
SOURCE Automotive Hall of Fame.