Automania

How motor vehicles reshaped the way people lived, worked and played in the 20th century, and their enduring influence on the built environment

Drawing on the wealth of automobile-related design, art and architecture in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, Automania takes an in-depth look at an industrial object that changed the world. From its first appearance as a plaything for the rich in the 1890s to its establishment as a utilitarian necessity of modern life, the car has transformed the ways in which we live, work and enjoy ourselves, inspiring countless designers and artists working in various mediums.
Some have viewed the automobile as the ultimate expression of technological progress, capable of bringing about widespread economic growth and positive societal change. Others have seen it as the enemy of humanistic values, leading only to rising fatalities and the proliferation of hazardous waste and pollution.