The art cars that we know and love today are an example of a wholly modern-day art thrill. Until the last century, motor cars were so rare that the idea of taking one and decorating it to make an artistic statement would have been ludicrous. Yet in the 1920s, the flapper era, free-thinking individuals would draw cartoons on their cars – and since then, the way forward has been clear. The 1960s saw the art car movement take on its strongest momentum yet with hippie-themed VW Beetles becoming massively popular. Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters decked out a school bus in Day-Glo swirls. This particular ethic exists in many of today’s wonderful art cars.

The 1970s saw many copy-cat efforts, but it was not until the 1990s and the development of events such as Burning Man and the films of art car guru Harrod Blank that art cars took on their most decisive change. Rather than just painting, Blank and his colleagues in the movement started adding things to their cars and turning them into moving sculptures. Between Houston and the Bay Area in San Francisco, the Art Car became a big deal to more people.

Now, cars are used even for purposes such as advertising – which was hardly the idea when it all started, but is at least a recognition that the Art Car has had an influence. Mostly, we would rather look at Harrod Blank’s Camera Van than anything telling us which cola to buy, but if it gets Art Cars better exposure, we shouldn’t complain too much.