Classic French autos take center stage at the Saint Louis Art Museum's upcoming 'Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918–1939' exhibition

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St. Louis, MO – The Saint Louis Art Museum will present “Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918–1939,” an in-depth and expansive exhibition that explores the role of the automobile as both subject and object from 1918 through 1939. The exhibition opens in spring 2025.

Anchoring the exhibition will be more than 10 period cars—in exceptional condition and with many rarely seen by the public either individually or together. Surrounding these automobiles will be more than 100 works of art and design, revealing the impact of fashion, furniture, architecture, aviation and the avant-garde on French automobile design and production—and, in turn, the impact of the French automobile on design, art and many other aspects of society. Organized by the Saint Louis Art Museum, “Roaring” will be on view from April 12 through July 27, 2025.

“For France, the period between the world wars was one of remarkable creativity and innovation, as well as of artistic and social turbulence,” said Genevieve Cortinovis, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Associate Curator of Decorative Arts and Design and the exhibition’s curator. “ ‘Roaring’ is an opportunity to explore this history while going beyond the typical scope of artistic production and, instead, using the automobile, which brought together craft, design and engineering to trace different influences on modern art, fashion and architecture. Just as importantly, this was a pivotal moment for the evolving role of women, as they continued to move into more-visible positions in society, from work to leisure. Some of that personal freedom was both inspired and made possible by the proliferation of the automobile.”

Punctuated by the impact of World War I, and a decade later by a global depression, Paris between 1918 and 1939 attracted visionaries from across the globe with its many creative and economic opportunities. “Roaring” will lead audiences through this history, exploring a wide array of artists, designers and performers—such as Josephine Baker, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sonia and Robert Delaunay, Jeanne Lanvin, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Le Corbusier, Germaine Krull, Henri Matisse, Man Ray and Charlotte Perriand —who embraced the automobile as a provocative expression of the modern age.

Previously the domain of engineers who focused on function more than form, automobiles began to meet the minds and hands of France’s designers, artists and craftspeople. Their influence brought new attention to the array of potential details—from the curves and silhouettes of the car’s body to the material comfort of the driver and passenger—to the avant-garde showrooms and glittering billboards designed to market and sell the thousands of cars driving off assembly lines.

Among the cars included in “Roaring” that exemplify these trends are:

• A 1928 Citroën B14 Coupe featuring an exterior pattern in the spirit of Sonia Delauney, who presented a painted Torpedo at the Paris 1925 International Exposition of Decorative and Industrial Arts. Exemplifying the early fusion of functionality and style in French automotive design, this model shows how manufacturers like André Citroën began to prioritize aesthetics alongside engineering.
• A Bugatti Type 41 Royale Convertible from 1931, which epitomizes the pinnacle of luxury and extravagance in interwar French automotive design. This rare and opulent vehicle, with its imposing presence at 19 feet long and its exquisite craftsmanship, embodies both a fascination with grandeur and speed and reflects the extreme wealth disparity that existed in the thick of the Great Depression.
• A Delage D8-120 and Delahaye Type 135MS Special Roadster, both from 1937. On the cusp of World War II and with militarism increasing across Europe, these sophisticated models—featuring sleek lines and powerful engines—illustrate how French car manufacturers and coachbuilders had mastered the art of combining cutting-edge engineering with the flowing, aerodynamic aesthetics that defined the late Art Deco period.
• And a Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Teardrop Coupe from 1938, which stands as a pinnacle of French automotive artistry, embodying the convergence of aerodynamic science and sculptural design, with its distinctive teardrop shape expressing futuristic visions of speed and elegance.

As the automobile began to change, artists, architects and designers of items from furniture to fashion discovered novel perspectives, subject matter and even new canvases in cars. As driving became more comfortable, motoring fashions evolved into stylish wardrobe staples, and magazines portrayed liberated women dressed in knit sportswear driving convertibles, further underscoring the sense of—and opportunities for—liberation. These dynamic design concepts also carried over into the marketing and sales of cars themselves, with new showrooms designed to provide not merely a sales experience but an aesthetic one, too.

These ideas are reflected in the range of works in the exhibition, including:

• Jeanne Laffitte’s Sport Ensemble (c.1926) in wool and silk, and an unknown maker’s softly tailored jacket and matching drawstring pants known as beach pajamas, were designed for the active, modern woman—with designs that embrace the freedom embodied by the automobile and are informed by Art Deco-inspired patterns and tailoring.
• Émile Deschler’s 1935 gouache, ink and crayon portrait of Josephine Baker and a 1935 photograph of Baker with her Delage D6-75 together illustrate the intersection of celebrity, entertainment and automotive culture in interwar France, as well as the increasing freedom of women. Moreover, iconic figures like Baker embraced luxury automobiles as extensions of their public personas, a trend that would spread.
• Designer René-André Coulon’s Dressing Stool (c.1930) shows how the modernist approach to furniture design paralleled innovations in automotive design, bringing together materials—in this case an iron frame with glass sides and an upholstered seat—in unconventional forms that echoed the sleek, multifunctional aesthetics emerging in automobile design.

“Roaring” is curated by Genevieve Cortinovis, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Associate Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, with research assistant Sarah Berg

Funding for this exhibition is provided by the Enterprise Mobility Foundation, the Betsy & Thomas Patterson Foundation, the Edward L. Bakewell Jr. Endowment for Special Exhibitions, and the E. Desmond Lee Family Endowment for Exhibitions. 

One Fine Arts Drive
Forest Park
St. Louis, Missouri 63110-1380
314.721.0072
www.slam.org

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