Speed, Style, and Beauty - Cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection

by Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Michael Furman (Photographer)

Exhibition of Lauren's collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston 2005

The car as an art 29 classic cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection Bugatti and Bentley, Alfa and Aston, Mercedes and McLaren―these are not merely cars, they are some of the most exquisite automobiles ever assembled, selected by Ralph Lauren, one of the foremost designers of our time. This breathtaking volume features 29 of these wonders―from such unparalleled masterpieces as the 1930 Mercedes Benz “Count Trossi,” the 1938 Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia, and the 1938 Bugatti Atlantic Coupe to marvels from Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche and even a Ford “Woody”―each of these vehicles is lovingly photographed and presented with authoritative elegance. Complementing the images are sketches of these and other cars―rarely seen drawings that give insight into the conceptual and development stages of the automobiles. Now in its fourth printing, Speed, Style, and Beauty is the first book on cars to center its discussion squarely on the car's role as an art object. The 29 chapters, by two of the best known and most respected authors writing about cars today, gives the indispensable background information, but also approaches the cars the way an art historian would approach fine sculpture―treating them as consummate works of decorative art for the modern age. With over 160 color images by world-renowned photographer Michael Furman, plus an introductory interview with Ralph Lauren who discusses the links between the cars and his overall design philosophy, this is an elegant yet informative book that will delight both the rampant car enthusiast and aficionados of great design in any form. The sleekly curved chrome and steel of these timeless dream machines conjures the glamour of the 1930s, the opulent ease of the 1950s and the charged excitement of the 1980s―the perfect marriage of speed, style and beauty.

240 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2005

About the author

The Museum of Fine Arts is an American art museum founded in 1870 & located in Boston, Massachusetts.

It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas.

Reviews

[John Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this show at the MFA last decade. It was a good show and the cars were spectacular. As a coffee table book, this one is ok. The photographs are great just wish there were more of them. The narrative about each car is interesting and the provenance for each car at the end was a nice include, many of the cars have incomplete provenances. I would have liked to hear more about Paul Russel and the work that went into restoring some of these. I also found it very interesting that Lauren bought most of these cars between 1982-1988. Recommended if you saw the show, not sure what you will get out of this if you didn't.

[Dean Prichard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. Great book on Ralph Lauren's car collection.