Karl Benz invented the first gas-powered automobile in 1886, but it was Henry Ford’s Model T introduced in 1908 that revolutionized the auto industry. The Ford Motor Company continued to release exciting new models, and in 1932 debuted its Model B and Model 18, which came in several body styles. These models, particularly the roadster and coupe builds, became popular with hot rodders who would tear the car down to the chassis and rebuild with custom engines, exhaust, tires, body mods, and paint. By removing the flash, speed, and signature roar, British artist Chris Gilmour’s Ford (Hot Rod) can easily be interpreted as the antithesis of what a hot rod should be, yet his dedication to the design and build process, as well as his conceptual reinterpretation of “customization,” magnifies the less tangible aspects of what these cars represent. Made entirely out of used cardboard, Gilmour’s Ford truly is one of a kind in a culture that values originality and craftsmanship, and is just one of the many fine examples of how cars have the ability to transform into vehicles of wild creative expression.

Ford is a replica of 1932 roadster with a V8 427 blown engine, dropped front axle, and exposed headers. 

Reference images and build process from Gilmour’s studio

Gilmour’s painstaking attention to detail tempts people into thinking this is a real car, and quite often people try to open the trunk or the doors thinking they can hop inside. If there were a set of keys then someone would likely try to start it, despite its obvious artificiality. The contrasts between real and unreal, common material and luxury object, and fragility and solidity, are central to his work and made immediately apparent to viewers in a way that is accessible and delightful rather than confrontational and confusing. Gilmour spends about 3 to 6 months working on one of his cardboard sculptures, and, fittingly, his studio occupies an old car repair shop in a small town in Italy.

Options were limited for customization prior to Ford’s models of the 1930, but artist Sonia Delaunay was likely one of the first to visually radicalize her car and redefine the automobile as an art object. In 1925 she painted a Citroën B12 with blocks of color to match one of her textile designs. The above image points to the growing popularity of the automobile as something that is not only functional, but fashionable as well. The 1920s was a significant decade for women’s liberation, and Delaunay’s personalized vehicle illustrates women’s increasing freedom and mobility in society.

Decorated art cars like Delaunay’s became more common in the 1960s, with the tripped out hippie buses and Volkswagens dominating the aesthetic of the time. Janis Joplin’s 1965 Porsche 356 Cabriolet, painted by San Francisco artist Dave Richards, is an ode to the hippies’ love of color and nature. With rainbows, mountains, butterflies, and celestial bodies elegantly swirling all over the metal body, it’s hard to think of why she would want to trade in this masterpiece for a run-of-the-mill Mercedes Benz.

John Lennon painted his 1965 Rolls Royce Phantom V bright yellow with flowers, making it look like a circus carousel or gypsy caravan, and fellow Beatle George Harrison adorned his 1965 Austin Cooper ’S’, LGF 695D with Tibetan Buddhist imagery. Like Joplin’s Porsche, these cars were painted by talented yet relatively obscure artists. Having their art promoted by celebrities on a mobile platform did much to not only bolster their own profile but that of the art car in general. A decade after the flourish of ’65 celebrity hippie-mobiles, French race car driver Hervé Poulain invited Alexander Calder to paint his BMW 3.0 CSL, thus prompting BMW’s engagement in the arts and bringing the concept of the art car to a broader audience.

Art cars designed by: Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Ken Done

BMW is currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of the art car tradition with exhibitions in Hong Kong, at the Centre Pompidou, the BMW Museum and the Concorso d’Eleganza at Lake Como. “The BMW Art Cars provide an exciting landmark at the interface where cars, technology, design, art and motor sport meet,” reflects Maximilian Schöberl, Senior Vice President, Corporate and Governmental Affairs, BMW Group. “The 40-year history of our ‘rolling sculptures’ is as unique as the artists who created them. The BMW Art Cars are an essential element and core characteristic of our global cultural engagement.” The tradition has tapered off, though, the most recent car designed in 2010 by Jeff Koons. His car, a M3 GT2, is 17th in the series and he adorned it with the number 79 to commemorate the year Andy Warhol created his BMW art car. Each car serves as a symbol of its time, but also shows how the combination of blue chip artists with high-end automobiles creates the ultimate exclusive luxury item. Celebrity artists and celebrity owners are recognized and lauded for their creativity and fashionable taste in cars and the way they choose to customize them, but there are regular, working-class people out there who pour their hearts, souls, and a lot of their income into building their own rides from scratch.

Lowriders represent one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized sects in the world of custom cars. Men and women who partake in this culture are often assumed to be involved in gang activity, but the truth is these people use lowriding as a way to connect with family and build community. Lowriders are typically built from classic American cars of the 1960s, the ’64 Chevy Impala being the most popular model. The technical knowledge and creative vision of lowrider culture is passed down generation through generation. People know each other by what kind of car they drive - what the exhaust sounds like, what kind of stereo they have, and who helped them build it. The car is an extension of personal identity. Aside from the wild paint jobs, custom upholstered interiors, and booming sound systems, what makes lowriders stand out from all other custom cars is the special hydraulic system that gives them their signature bounce, which can reach as high as 8 vertical feet. Anyone who may dispute lowriding as an art form should read the following passage from Dave Hickey, who grew up immersed in car culture and has a firm grasp on its influence on American art aesthetics. 

From Air Guitar 

Chris Gilmour’s Ford (hot rod) may not have the operative mechanics and other material elements of a real car, but he proves his knowledge and ability to construct such a vehicle with the most minimal of materials. By creating an object of such affluence and fascination out of something as democratic as cardboard, Gilmour challenges the viewer to reconsider their own material desires. A collector of rare and valuable cars would certainly want to add this piece to his collection for its novelty factor while an art collector added it to her collection for its subtle conceptual underpinnings, but both could agree that it is the beautiful craftsmanship that makes it a truly remarkable work of art and contribution to the American car legacy.

-Hayley Richardson

The average American, ages 20 to 65, works 40 hours a week. That adds up to approximately 10.3 years over the course of a lifetime. While some people have jobs that require them to work outdoors, or in labs, factories, classrooms, and theaters, most of us spend our days working in an office environment. Desks, chairs, computers, and filing cabinets populate these spaces, walls are typically white with no decorative elements, and some are windowless. Offices like this can make work a real drag, so it is exciting when a company makes an effort to create a stimulating environment for their employees. In 2002, Devon Dikeou created what would be her “ideal office” for the French media and publishing company, Outcasts Incorporated. For four months, the Outcasts office was customized with furnishings picked out by the artist, as well as artworks of her own creation. Devon’s Ideal Office is still in operation today at the Dikeou Collection, and continues to be a fun and inspiring space to work. 

Outcasts Incorporated had six ideal office installations by different artists until July 2004, with Dikeou’s being the first of the series. As an artist whose concepts analyze the inner workings of the art world and different viewing contexts, and whose studio also operates as an office for the production of zingmagazine, designing an ideal office was an appealing opportunity to present her multifaceted practice in a novel environment. Wall color was of primary importance when beginning the project, and Devon opted for a shade a of blue that matched the color of Peggy Guggenheim’s bedroom at her palazzo in Venice, which she renamed “Peggy Guggenheim Blue.” Blue signifies loyalty, confidence, and intelligence, and is said to be the most productive color for an office environment, as it stimulates the mind and easily compliments other colors in the space. This particular shade is lively yet soothing, suggests luxury but not ostentation, and sets the tone for the individual artworks and modern décor. 

Plants like the ones in Dikeou’s Cajole are known to reduce stress at work and can help diffuse office noise. They would also decrease the frequency of airborne illness and help maintain room temperature if they were real, but their artificiality is what best suits the idealized scene. The use of plants suggests a desire to bring the outside in, and she extends this idea by considering not only what goes inside of an ideal office, but where an ideal office would physically exist. She envisions her office to be in one of America’s most iconic landmarks, Yankee Stadium, first base to be specific, represented via Touch of Greatness: Babe Ruth. The fact that Outcasts’ headquarters is in an entirely different country from Yankee Stadium makes the setting even more outlandish, therefore pushing the impracticality of idealism to its maximum. But like the wall color and the plants, Touch of Greatness could have a beneficial impact on the employees, perhaps working as a subliminal motivator, instilling greatness through osmosis. 

The baseballs signed by Babe Ruth and the green Astroturf with base and baseline that comprise Touch of Greatness inspire success, but they also call for interaction and bring a sense of play to the setting. The Trick Is, There Is No “K” is another work by Dikeou installed in the office where players collect the letters printed in matchbooks to spell out “Dikeou” in hopes of winning a carton of cigarettes. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has written extensively about work and business psychology, and says game playing at work relaxes the mind and allows for creative thinking and breakthrough ideas. However, this game is impossible to win without the letter K, and will likely lead to frustration rather than a celebratory smoke. 

While the overall scheme of the Ideal Office is imbued with wit and joviality, Dikeou’s Takes A Licking, and Keeps on Ticking serves as a reminder that time is not free, and when an employee checks in at that clock he/she is then obligated to put all personal matters on hold until they punch out. The title, though, which refers to the popular Timex campaign introduced in the 1950s and brought back in the ‘90s, is about resilience and the ability to function under stress. Strong work ethic and professional integrity are qualities that define an ideal employee, and only those who fit that motto have the honor of clocking in at the Ideal Office

The Ideal Office is still ticking today at Dikeou Collection, albeit not in the exact form as installed at Outcasts Incorporated. Two employees work in this office and share a desk, which allows for easy communication and collaboration, and also democratizes the space. It still symbolically exists on first base in Yankee Stadium, but its real location is in the heart of the collection itself, which means visitors pass through all the time as they make their way through the galleries. This facilitates opportunities to engage with our audience and adds a personal touch to their experience. The best part is witnessing people’s reactions when they realize they can handle the baseballs in Touch of Greatness: Babe Ruth. The intention of the piece is that the balls lose value as collectibles when handled, but gain value as art objects. Like the baseballs, the office has accumulated the marks of everyday use and interaction, but that is what distinguishes it as a place where meaningful work happens. Dikeou’s Ideal Office, in both its original temporary installment and in its current ongoing state, shows how “the ideal” can be obtainable but is impossible to maintain long-term. An ideal office evolves with the needs of the people who use the space yet holds true to the principles of the company, and Devon Dikeou’s office has held up to this criteria for over a decade.

-Hayley Richardson

Sarah Staton has been exhibiting her work in museums and galleries since the late ‘80s, but in the summer of 1993 she hit the streets of London in an attempt to sell her art like a door-to-door salesman. She’d make appointments with potential buyers, or just show up at a person’s house, with the hope that someone would want to buy from her inventory of papier-mâché coins, cigarettes, credit cards, and other seemingly insignificant daily detritus. This act evolved into her ongoing SupaStore project, a DIY art sale experiment that has transpired at dozens of galleries and alternative venues over the years, the most recent at Galerie Emanuel Layr in Vienna. Over one hundred artists, ranging in recognition, have had a piece they created on sale at the SupaStore. Installed at Dikeou Pop-Up: Colfax is 10 SupaStore SupaStars, a portfolio of lithographs by various artists selected by Staton.

The artists, who include Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Tomato, Sarah Staton, Simon Periton, Gary Hume, Georgie Hopton, Anya Gallaccio, Tracey Emin, Simon Bill, and Ellen Cantor personify the rebellious spirit of the SupaStore scheme, and their presence in a relinquished record shop-turned-gallery underscores its history as a rogue outpost in art’s commercial sector.

Emin herself splashed around in the art market when she and Sarah Lucas opened The Shop in East London, also in 1993. Staton, Emin, and Lucas ushered in a new wave of underground hipness that London desperately needed at the time simply by offering venues and artworks that were intelligent, fun, and unpretentious, and by bringing together likeminded people in the arts with the rest of the neighborhood population. These ladies introduced something fresh to their community, but they were not the first, nor the last, to engage in the commercial side of art.

In 1935, Marcel Duchamp tried to sell his Rotoreliefs at a Paris inventor’s fair in an effort to have “a direct contact” with the consumer. It was a financial failure, as the consumers he reached out to were invested in science and technology, not art. The occurrence, however, became a quirky footnote in his biography, and was followed up with a stint posing as a cheese merchant to pass Nazi checkpoints in 1941. Duchamp’s episodes in mercantilism involved a degree of role-playing in which he detached himself from his artist position. Claes Oldenburg, on the other hand, placed his occupation as an artist at the forefront of his business endeavors when he opened The Store in December 1961.

The Store occupied the front of Oldenburg’s studio in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and he filled it with his sculptural replicas of diner food, clothing, cigarettes, price tags and sales posters. The Store allowed Oldenburg to bypass the gallery/art dealer/middle man and sell his work on his own terms, but more importantly it marked a pivotal moment in American culture when art and commerce started to blatantly appropriate each others aesthetics and economic agendas. Artists continued to incorporate commercial activities and spaces into their creative practice, but some took it a step further by investing in their stores and merchandise long term.

Emin and Lucas’ shop lasted six months, Oldenburg’s store only one month. Keith Haring’s Pop Shop stayed open for nearly two decades, from 1986 until September 2005. Located on Lafayette Street in SoHo, Haring decked out his Pop Shop with floor to ceiling murals and sold gifts and clothing donning his signature artistry. Haring made his motive for the shop clear: “Here’s the philosophy behind the Pop Shop: I wanted to continue the same sort of communication as with the subway drawings. I wanted to attract the same wide range of people and I wanted it to be a place where, yes, not only collectors could come, but also kids from the Bronx … this was still an art statement.” Unfortunately the Pop Shop had to close due to the high cost of maintaining a retail space in NYC, but it still operates online with profits going toward The Keith Haring Foundation.

The Pop Shop grew into a successful business establishment, but it always maintained its DIY attitude and was accessible to people from all walks of life. Larger corporate entities, particularly distinguished fashion houses, have since caught on to the soaring popularity and marketability of artist wares, and frequently enlist prominent contemporary artists to design and promote their products.

Jeremy Deller installation for Louis Vuitton, London

One of the companies leading this trend is Louis Vuitton, which has collaborated with dozens of artists who work in a range of genres. From the graffiti styles of RETNA and Aiko to the conceptual aesthetics of Jeremy Deller and Daniel Buren, LV has exposed its clientele to a world of art that supersedes other brands. The artists they work with not only design the line, but they also frequently use the stores as space to create immersive installations. This level of collaboration thus transforms the usual shopping trip into a cultural experience, where the shopper is not just walking into a store and buying a purse, but rather walking into an exhibition and leaving with a piece of art.

Contemporary art is so heavily dependent on the market that it’s no wonder artists are finding ways to integrate it into their practice. What is most interesting to observe is the manner in which they choose to do this, whether it’s in a temporary space where they sell their own handmade items, or by teaming up with established companies to spread their work to a mass audience. Regardless of the approach, though, is the fact is that artists are recontextualizing space and interrupting the typical patterns of the art market. Sarah Staton’s SupaStore is one of the longest running projects to do this, which is an important quality that sets it apart from others. The SupaStore is also dependent on the contributions of multiple artists, allowing it to showcase such a range of artworks while other artist shop projects focus on one or maybe a few different people. What started as a parody on art’s commodification eventually grew into a documentation of the developments and movements in contemporary art, and the subsequent correlations that ebb and flow with the market and consumer habits. With 10 SupaStore SupaStars now at the Dikeou Pop-Up, a work acquired by an artist who also participated in the SupaStore, we see how the art market can come full circle in meaningful ways that can be sincere rather than superficial or trendy.

Click here to read more about the economics behind 10 SupaStore SupaStars.

-Hayley Richardson

Giasco Bertoli’s 2001 piece “I went to see a friend of mine who turned thirty-three years old, in his room I found a pile of 33 lp’s with the word blue on each cover title, I compiled them in alphabetical order” is a C-print photograph mounted on aluminum, and was one of the first artworks installed at Dikeou Collection. The word “blue” and the alphabetization of the albums provide the basis for the composition, but this assemblage of otherwise arbitrary images resonates with one another and builds a story about the owner of these albums and the people who made them.

Sting, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Madonna are some of the standout artists in this gathering because of their widespread fame and appeal, but there are some lesser-known names like Terje Rypdal and The Chasers or Claire d’Asta that can leave one wondering how they found their way into this person’s collection in the first place. Despite any of these musicians’ level of fame, though, is the fact that the people who created these album covers rarely get the acknowledgment they deserve for bringing music into the visual realm. Compounding the situation is the proliferation of digital music exchanged over the internet, which has drastically reduced the need for album art in general. The next time you find yourself with a record in your hands, take the time to scan the fine print and find the name of the individual(s) who produced the imagery, as their work is an integral part to the musician’s identity.

The following is a list of the art directors, designers, and photographers who created the album covers in Giasco’s photograph. The artists for albums by Status Quo, Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, and Elvis Presley are unknown. Like the musicians, the artists vary in their degree of recognition.

Abbey Lincoln, Abbey is Blue - Cover designed and produced by Paul Bacon, Ken Braren, and Harris Lewine. Photography by Lawrence N. Shustak
John Coltrane, Afro Blue Impressions - Cover and layout by Norman Granz and Sheldon Marks
Johnny Cash, All Aboard the Blue Train with Johnny Cash - Cover by Neil Lewis
The Rolling Stones, Black and Blue - Photography by Hiro, layout by Bea Feitler
Double, Blue- Cover design by Hans Inauen. Photography by Barbara Davatz and Marco Schaaf
Joni Mitchell, Blue - Art Direction by Gary Burden, photography by Tim Considine
Terje Rypdal and the Chasers, Blue - Cover design by Dieter Rehm
Status Quo, Blue for You - unknown
Heavy D and The Boyz, Blue Funk - Art Direction & Design by The Drawing Board, photography by Danny Clinch
Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, Blue Jean Bop! - unknown
Massive Attack, Blue Lines - Art and Design by Michael Nash
Elton John, Blue Moves - Art direction by David Costa
Emmylou Harris, Blue Kentucky Girl - Design and photography by Tom Wilkes
Kiri te Kanawa and Nelson Riddle, Blue Skies - Photo by Zoe Dominic
Cassandra Wilson, Blue Skies - Cover design by Steve Byram
Midnight Oil, Blue Sky Mining - Front cover photography by Gunther Deichmann, back cover photography by North Sullivan
John Coltrane, Blue Train - Photography by Francis Wolff, cover design by Reid Miles
Tom Waits, Blue Valentine - Art Direction and Design by Ron Coro, hand lettering by Bill Franks, photography by Elliot Gilbert
The Escorts, From the Blue Angel - Front cover photo by Dezo Hoffmann, back photo by Campbell McCallum
Herbert von Karajan, Herbert von Karajan does Johann Strauss: Le beau Danube Bleu - Portrait provided by Eisenmenger Ektachrome Archive for Art and History
Eric Serra, Le Grande Bleu Soundtrack - Designed by P.Huart and P. Cholley, illustration by Malinowski
Elvis, Moody Blue - unknown
Frank Sinatra, Ol’ Blue Eyes is Back - Art direction and photography by Ed Thrasher, design by Dave Bhang
Carl Perkins, Ol’ Blue Suede’s Back (Tribute to Rock'n'Roll) - Art Direction by Bill Banks, design by Jeff Lancaster, photography by Gary Young
Wynton Kelly, Kelly Blue - Cover produced and designed by Paul Bacon, Ken Braren, and Harris Lewine
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue - Cover photo by Jay Maisel, other photography by Don Hunstein
Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue - Art Direction by Peter Nutter/Thumb Design, photo by Richard Avedon
Foghat, Stony Blue - Art Direction and Design by Peter Corriston, cover concept and photographs by Alen MacWeeney
Lou Reed, Blue Mask - Cover Design by Sylvia Reed
Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles - Photography by Max Vadukul, Danny, and a chicken
Madonna, True Blue - Art Direction by Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff with Jeri McManus, design by Jeri McManus, photography by Herb Ritz
Johnny Winter, White Hot & Blue - Photography by Art Kane, design by Paula Scher

Click here to listen to a mix of tracks from these albums curated by John A. Díaz-Cortés 

-Hayley Richardson

Image courtesy of Clyfford Still Museum

The New York School of artists often had consuming relationships with critics. Art writers like Clement Greenberg and Harold Rosenberg had the power to bolster an artist’s notoriety and embed their name in history, but they also had the ability to crush aspirations and reputations. AbEx painter Clyfford Still was unafraid to express his loathing for this dynamic, and the way critics (in his eyes) manipulated artists and their work. He aggressively responded to reviewers, famously sending art critic Emily Genauer a pair of rubber underpants for her “Sunday afflictions” after she wrote an unflattering review of his work in The New York Herald Tribune. Based on Still’s history with critics, The Clyfford Still Museum invited Jerry Saltz and Roberta Smith, the two most prominent art critics working today, to speak at their Winter 2015 Keynote. Held in Ponti Hall at the Denver Art Museum on February 12, Saltz and Smith pulled one of the largest crowds for a museum event the city has seen.

The structure of the talk was loose and meandering, with both Saltz and Smith glossing over their biographies – he as a former artist turned truck driver who took up writing criticism on the road, she as an assistant for Donald Judd and then writing for Artforum and Village Voice. They met at a gallery reception and he asked her to contribute to his book Beyond Boundaries: New York’s New Art in 1987, without having ever read her writing. They have since been married 23 years, with Roberta writing as co-chief art critic for The New York Times and Jerry as senior art critic at New York magazine. They eat, sleep, and breathe art together, yet retain individual identities in their writing styles and opinions.

Roberta stated that everyone should embrace their inner critic, and acknowledged that she and her husband are often at the receiving end of criticism themselves. In December 2006, Time Out New York compiled a list of the top professional reviewers with “…the power to shape NYC culture…rated by the artists and industry insiders who know them best.” Saltz clocked in at #1 and Smith was #2. An anonymous quote from the ratings said that while Saltz is “…opinionated and argumentative, he is at least passionate about art…” A quote about Roberta: “Considers her subjects carefully, but can never entirely endorse them. Her reserved style is respected, but not always just.” They still describe their styles as such today; Saltz having a loose, animated bravura while Smith is more controlled and focused on pace.

Their writing styles matched their personalities on stage. The volume of Jerry’s voice bounced up and down, often accompanied with energetic hand gestures, while Roberta’s tone was clear and direct, hands calm. Their shared ability, though, to express themselves concisely with intellect and humor is what made the experience truly engaging. There was never a lull in their discussion, and they made it clear that they expected the audience to keep the momentum during the Q&A session. People tend to ask longwinded questions, and Jerry gave one inquisitor a loud BZZZT! before he could even get one out. This was merely his humor shining through, and they graciously answered all questions with thoughtfulness and attention to the examiner. One person asked how they gauge their success, and Roberta answered that she measures her success by how useful she is to readers and art viewers, that she “doesn’t feel alive” if she’s not in print. Jerry and Roberta thrive off feedback from their audiences, and it showed when they fielded questions from the crowd. They are both active on social media, too, and interact with their cyber audience daily.

It was not until I reviewed my notes days after the lecture when I noticed that Jerry spoke more to and about artists, while Roberta’s discussion focused on the criticism and writing process. From this one can see how Jerry’s early history as an artist continues to influence his perspective and voice as a critic. He stressed that artists need to work, work, and work more, both creatively and at a traditional “real job.” Roberta credited her mother for encouraging a critical eye and visual literacy at an early age. She said she abstains from getting too personal to those she writes about, which explains her cool detachment in print. As a couple they strike a balance that is so difficult to achieve in their field, it makes one wonder if they would have reached the level of success they have today if they never would have developed a relationship.

Jerry and Roberta’s work centers on the New York art world, but their influence is national and they recognize the significance of art communities throughout the country. Their Instagram and Twitter feeds were full of art highlights from Denver Art Museum and Clyfford Still Museum, along with much praise of the strength of both museums’ collections. They were especially enchanted by CSM, and talked at length about how important this museum is to understanding an artist’s development and craft. It’s too bad they did have more time to spend in the Mile High so they could see how much more the city has to offer with its hundreds of galleries, theaters, artist studios, and alternative spaces, but Jerry tweeted to his 59K followers, “Denver on itinerary kids.” He and Roberta may have only gotten a tiny taste of what’s here, but they liked what they saw and will hopefully come back for more.

-Hayley Richardson