The Art Of The Car
Some people collect cars. Others collect art. If your passions are divided between the two, there’s no need to sacrifice. Become a car art collector. Cars, as the subject of art in all its various forms, are nothing new. It doesn’t matter what type of vehicle you’re obsessed with, either. Muscle cars, foreign cars, sports cars, classic cars, motorcycles, hot rods – you name it and there’s a car art market for it.
From the time a boy becomes aware of cars to the day when he finally gets behind the wheel and revs up the ignition of his own vehicle, males tend to be obsessed by cars. Enter the teenager boys’ lair (if you dare) and on the wall you might find a poster or two of the hot new grunge band or the latest richest sports icon or maybe even some ultra hot uber model. And one other poster, ranking equally as high as the bands, heroes and babes: the car of his desire.
Posters are not to be dismissed lightly, as juvenile as they may seem once you’re out of your teen years. Posters have staying power, and as an art form, continue to appreciate. Vintage automotive posters (generally of vintage cars or racing venues) sell very well at online auctions and through private collectors.
Maybe spending $9.99 on a car art poster is a little too “vulgar” for you and your tastes. After all, you want your art to convey a message, don’t you? At the (far far) other end of the spectrum are the car art masterpieces – like Gotschke’s Gran premio d’Italia which sells for a bargain basement price of $19,900 (on sale from $28,900!). A deal if ever there was one. It pales in comparison, though, to the 1999 oil painting, Monaco Magic by Alfredo de la Maria, which sells for $60,000. Still got money to burn, er, invest? How about the LeRoy Neiman, A.J. Foyt, Indy 500, Car #14, painted in 1977 which now sells for a cool quarter million. Dollars. Understand, this kind of car art is an investment, so if you add a Gorschke, de la Maria or a Neiman to your car art collection you should be sure you’ve got a rider to your insurance policy covering it. If you don’t have a rider, be sure to do your research and get appropriate coverage, just like you’ve probably done with auto insurance quotes.
Perhaps when you were a kid you were really into creating model cars. After you finished lovingly crafting your car, you’d place it inside an acrylic box and pop it up on your bookshelf to admire it from afar (of course, no one would dare touch it!). Maybe you’re more a tactile kind of person, as opposed to visual, so you might consider a sculpture. The kind you’d find at NASA, not the kind you’d find at the National Gallery. Amazing artwork created entirely in aluminum, fiberglass, chrome or stainless steel, incorporating lights and suggesting movement and fluidity.
And what if you’re not so obsessed with other cars as you are the one that you already own? You can have a masterpiece created just for you, on whatever medium you choose – canvas, photography, stone, clay – limited only by your (and your chosen artist’s) imagination and your bank account. That would be a much cooler gift than a personalized bowling bag!